More than 15 American warships are taking part in the operation to block the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a senior U.S. official.
According to the official, the force includes an aircraft carrier, several guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, and other vessels. These forces are capable of deploying helicopters for amphibious operations.
Monitoring services indicate that U.S. ships have moved to within roughly 200 kilometers of Iran’s coastline—the shortest distance since the war began. That places the American naval group within range of Iranian missiles and drones.
A day earlier, Tehran warned that it would strike American ships if there were attempts to restrict shipping to and from Iranian ports.
At the same time, China signaled that it intends to keep using the Strait of Hormuz, maintain its energy cooperation with Iran, and preserve its naval presence in the region despite U.S. actions.
“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital international trade route for goods and energy supplies, and preserving its security, stability, and unimpeded passage serves the shared interests of the international community,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
Earlier, Starmer said that Britain “does not support” the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by Trump. The statement was one of the clearest signals yet that London is not prepared to publicly align itself with Washington’s military line.