Washington, April 30 : The US military has announced that its forces have intercepted 42 vessels as part of its blockade to prevent maritime commerce from entering or exiting Iranian ports.

"Today, US forces achieved a significant milestone after successfully redirecting the 42nd commercial vessel attempting to violate the blockade," US Central Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement posted on social media X on Wednesday (local time).

He highlighted that the 41 tankers currently stranded as a result of the blockade hold an estimated 69 million barrels of oil, which is over 6 billion US dollars in potential revenue, further crippling Iran's ability to profit from its oil exports, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The blockade is highly effective, and US forces remain fully committed to total enforcement," Cooper said.

Iran condemned the seizure as a "flagrant act of piracy." The country's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, explained that armed forces did not intervene at the time because the crew members' families were on board.

The continued US maritime "piracy and banditry" in the form of naval blockade against Iran will soon be met with "practical and unprecedented military action," state-run Press TV reported earlier, citing a high-ranking security source.

Iran's armed forces maintain that "patience has limits," and a "punishing response" will be necessary if the United States continues its "illegal" naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the source told Press TV.

According to the source, if the US "obstinacy and delusions" continue, and Iran's conditions are rejected, the "enemy" should soon expect a different kind of response to the naval blockade, "which is akin to maritime banditry."

The United States has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, preventing ships from transiting to and from Iranian ports. The blockade came into effect after Iran-US negotiations in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, on April 11-12 failed to yield an agreement.

/IANS