Updated

Iran's Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad said the country's oil industry continues to find ways around the US military blockade of Iranian ports and vessels, telling the Iranian Students News Agency that Tehran is "pursuing various strategies" to overcome the blockade despite acknowledging the situation is difficult. He said US forces had attacked Kharg Island, a key oil export hub off Iran's southwestern coast, more than 550 times during the blockade's first months. Separately, US Central Command said it has redirected a total of 87 vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as part of the naval blockade targeting Iran, and disclosed that it has disabled three ships and boarded two others to enforce "total compliance." The figures illustrate the scale of the US military's ongoing effort to choke off Iranian oil exports as part of Washington's broader pressure campaign.