The figure marks an increase from the 29 vessels reported earlier on Wednesday and follows Sunday’s interception of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska in the northern Arabian Sea, which was disabled by the USS Spruance after its crew refused to comply with warnings over six hours.

The blockade was launched on April 13 following weeks of disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Centcom also pushed back against media reports claiming several commercial ships had successfully evaded the naval blockade on Iranian ports, calling them inaccurate.

Reports alleged that the vessels M/V Hero II, M/V Hedy and M/V Dorena had slipped past the blockade and moved millions of barrels of oil.

Centcom rejected the characterisation, saying the Hero II and Hedy were in fact anchored at Chabahar, Iran, after being intercepted by US forces earlier in the week.

The Dorena, meanwhile, remains under escort by a US Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean following a prior attempt to breach the blockade, it said.

Iran did not immediately respond to US characterisation of the events.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb 28, rattling global energy markets and raising fears of prolonged economic damage.

A ceasefire mediated by Pakistan is currently in place, and more talks to end the conflict permanently are expected soon.