Shafaq News- Washington

US forces intercepted the newly sanctioned M/V Sevan in the Arabian Sea and ordered it back to Iran under escort, bringing the total number of vessels redirected under a naval blockade on Tehran to 37, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.

The vessel, among 19 ships sanctioned a day earlier by the US Treasury, was intercepted by a Navy helicopter launched from the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney. The Treasury claimed that the ships were involved in transporting billions of dollars worth of Iranian oil and gas products to foreign markets.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has warned Tehran would respond if the United States continues enforcing the blockade and carrying out “acts of piracy.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier seized the vessel Epaminondas, accusing it of cooperating with the US military and committing repeated violations after ignoring warnings.