The United States Navy has diverted a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman during an operation tied to enforcement measures on ships linked to Iranian ports, according to the United States Central Command.

In a statement issued on 17 April, CENTCOM said the action was taken to make sure vessels followed the current rules covering ships entering or leaving Iran. The command also released audio and video from USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112). Footage recorded from the destroyer’s helicopter showed the commercial vessel under observation while moving through the Gulf of Oman.

The audio captured radio exchanges between US sailors and the ship’s crew. The communication remained orderly, and the merchant vessel followed instructions during the diversion. CENTCOM later published additional images showing sailors aboard USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) on watch during the same mission.

US officials said the operation was not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. They said the mission was focused on vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas. According to CENTCOM, commercial traffic not bound for Iran continued to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman without interruption.

The deployment included more than 10,000 personnel, over a dozen naval vessels and more than 100 aircraft, CENTCOM said. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was also operating in the Arabian Sea as part of the mission. US forces were monitoring key shipping routes and were authorized to intercept, divert or take further action against vessels that did not comply with the restrictions.

Audio🔊of a Sailor aboard USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), with video from the guided-missile destroyer’s embarked helicopter flying over the Gulf of Oman, as the U.S. Navy diverts a merchant vessel while enforcing the blockade on ships entering or departing Iranian ports. U.S.… pic.twitter.com/10QxlEoGkk

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 16, 2026