U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, launch from the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) in support of the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.
The Ospreys are embarked aboard Boxer as part of the aviation combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which is deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations.
According to this morning's update from CENTCOM, U.S. forces have now redirected 67 commercial vessels, boarded two to ensure compliance, and disabled three vessels that failed to comply with blockade directives.