U.S. Central Command released new photos on Saturday showing two San Diego-based warships patrolling in the Arabian Sea to enforce a blockade against Iranian ports.
The photos from Centcom posts on X showed the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinkney and the littoral-combat ship USS Canberra.
The Canberra is equipped to search for mines and disable them, but the Navy did not say if that is taking place.
The San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, a giant nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is the centerpiece of the Navy’s operations off Iran, but smaller destroyers and littoral ships are the warships that make contact with merchant ships seeking to evade the blockade.
“The blockade has completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” Centcom said in a statement, adding that “since commencement of the blockade, 23 ships have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around.”
While the U.S. blockade continued, Iran reversed its Friday decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and fired on a tanker attempting to pass the waterway on Saturday. It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade remained in effect.
Saturday’s developments came after President Trump said the blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S. that includes its nuclear program.
A fragile ceasefire is due to run out by Wednesday. Iran said it had received new proposals from the United States, and Pakistani mediators were working to arrange another round of direct negotiations.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
