The Navy denied there was a shortage of food on board U.S. ships in the Middle East. But fresh food is running out between restocks, officials said.

The directive to turn its weapons on the boats adds a new element to the Navy's mine-clearing operations in the strait, which began this month.

The conflict involving Iran, the United States, and regional tensions is rapidly escalating, with major naval developments unfolding. US forces have already targeted key elements of Iran’s military, including ships,

ISLAMABAD — While President Trump said the US has “defeated the Iranian navy,” pointing to waves of strikes that wiped out warships, submarines and key military sites since late February, Tehran was still able to force closed the Strait of Hormuz.

A US warship intercepted an Iranian-flagged oil tanker, the M/T Stream, as part of an ongoing American blockade of Iranian ports. The move by CENTCOM has further escalated maritime tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan has been ousted from his role as the military administration faces a major shakeup amid escalating Middle East tensions and an Iran naval incident involving seized

Navy destroyers are also shadowing several other vessels that left from an Iranian port before the U.S.-imposed blockade began, a U.S. military official said.

Earlier reports suggested that Iran was demanding these payments in cryptocurrency, but it is unclear how many vessels have agreed to pay this toll.

USS Spruance ran through procedure with the Iranian-flagged vessel before finally opening fire with its deck gun when the boat didn't comply.

About half of Iran's stockpile of ballistic missiles and its associated launch systems were still intact as of the start of the ceasefire in early April, officials said.