US Marines Board Iranian Tanker in Latest Blockade Enforcement

U.S. Marines boarded an Iranian oil tanker on May 20 amid concerns the vessel was attempting to violate a U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the Iranian-flagged M/T Celestial Sea.

CENTCOM shared a post on X, showing footage of the Marines taking off from U.S. warships in helicopters, approaching the Iranian tanker, and lowering onto the deck of the commercial ship.

“American forces released the vessel after searching and directing the ship’s crew to alter course,” CENTCOM stated.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have redirected 91 vessels since the start of the U.S. blockade against Iran on April 13.

The blockade has played out amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran. President Donald Trump has pursued new negotiations with Tehran, while combat has largely paused.

Speaking with reporters before departing for Connecticut on May 20, Trump said, “We’re in the final stages of Iran.

“We’ll see what happens. We’ll either have a deal, or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen.”

Speaking with reporters on May 19, Trump said he would give Iranian officials “two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time” to come up with a deal or face renewed U.S. strikes.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on May 20, warned that the conflict would spread beyond the region if attacks on Iran are resumed.

“The regional war that was promised will this time be extended beyond the region, and our crushing blows will bring you to ruin in places you cannot imagine,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement shared with Iranian state media.

U.S. military officials have publicly reported that Iran’s offensive capabilities remain heavily degraded as a result of 38 days of persistent U.S. and Israeli strikes.

In a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee this week, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, wrote that the recent offensive operations had damaged or destroyed more than 85 percent of Iran’s ballistic missile, drone, and naval industry.

“We destroyed or buried much of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launcher vehicles, and long-range attack drones with more than 450 strikes on ballistic missile storage and systems and roughly 800 strikes on Iran’s drone-launching units and storage,” Cooper said.

He denied recent reports that Iranian forces had regained access to many of their missile storage sites that U.S. forces had previously struck.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.