The US Central Command (USCC) on Saturday released visuals of strikes targeting Iranian naval vessels and framed the operation as part of a wider effort to protect maritime traffic in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that carries around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
The move comes amid a sharp rise in tensions over attacks on ships and fears that the conflict could spill deeper into global trade and energy markets.
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In its post on X, CENTCOM said Iranian naval vessels had “threatened and harassed global shipping in regional waters” for decades and added that “those days are over.”
For decades, Iranian naval vessels have threatened and harassed global shipping in regional waters, but those days are over. pic.twitter.com/J4WUwpfU24
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 28, 2026
The statement followed a March 11 CENTCOM warning that Iran was using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz for military operations, which the command said endangered civilians and international shipping.
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Iran, meanwhile, has been projecting its own message of deterrence. Iranian semi-official media released footage in February showing Revolutionary Guards conducting naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate readiness to protect the waterway.
More recently, Tehran told the United Nations maritime agency that the strait remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran's enemies,” while insisting that it is committed to maritime safety.
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