By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, BEN FINLEY and DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press
The U.S. military has widened its efforts beyond the blockade of Iran's ports. It is allowing its forces around the world to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the U.S. would be targeting vessels in other areas, like the Pacific, that had left before the blockade began earlier this week. The military also published a notice detailing an expansive lists of goods that it considers contraband, declaring that it will board, search and seize them from merchant vessels "regardless of location."
A U.S. official says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is beefing up the Navy warship presence in the Middle East, ordering two aircraft carriers to be there next month as the U.S. increases strikes on Yemen-based Houthi rebels. It's the second time in six months the U.S. has kept two carrier strike groups in that region, up from one. The Norfolk, Virginia-based USS Harry S. Truman will be in the Middle East for at least an additional month. The USS Carl Vinson was in the Pacific and had been slated to head home to San Diego in three weeks but will head toward the Middle East.
The U.S.-led campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels has turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy has faced since World War II. That's what its leaders and experts tell The Associated Press, whose journalists visited U.S. ships off Yemen in recent days. The fight against the near-daily attacks by the Houthis has been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza. More than 50 vessels have been clearly targeted by the rebels. Other fire has endangered shipping through the vital Red Sea corridor. It appears the warfare likely only will intensify, putting the U.S. and allies more at risk.
