U.S. media: Crew members of the Iranian cargo ship seized by the U.S. will return home soon

According to reports, U.S. military officials said that the crew of an Iranian cargo ship that the U.S. military forcibly detained in the Gulf of Oman the day before will soon return to Iran. The reports cited U.S. military officials as saying that a Marine Corps unit is conducting a search of up to 5,000 containers carried aboard the cargo ship. Once the search is completed, U.S. officials will decide how to handle the ship, which has been disabled and brought to a halt. Experts said one disposal option is to tow the cargo ship to Oman; another option is, if the cargo ship still has the capability to navigate, to allow it to sail to a certain port in Iran. The U.S. Central Command said on the 19th that U.S. forces opened fire on an Iranian cargo ship attempting to break through the blockade and head for Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, causing it to lose propulsion. U.S. Marine Corps personnel subsequently boarded and took control of the ship. On the 20th, U.S. Central Command also issued a statement on social media, saying that since the U.S. has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and coastal areas, it has ordered 27 ships to turn around or return to Iranian ports. ( Xinhua News Agency )