[U.S. Military Claims to Have Intercepted Multiple Vessels Attempting to Break the Blockade on Iran] Golden Finance reported that on July 17, local time July 16, the U.S. Central Command stated that, so far, the U.S. military has forced three commercial vessels attempting to break the blockade to change course and rendered one non-compliant vessel inoperable. The U.S. side emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate the U.S. blockade on Iran. On July 14 local time, the U.S. Central Command announced that the U.S. military had resumed the maritime blockade targeting vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4:00 PM Eastern Time (11:30 PM Tehran Time) on the same day. (CCTV)