US Marines fired on and boarded an Iranian-flagged container ship in the northern Arabian Sea on April 19. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, operating from the USS Tripoli amphibious ready group alongside USS Spruance, executed the first kinetic boarding of the Hormuz blockade against MV Touska. Two days later, a second boarding hit the stateless tanker M/T Tifani — in INDOPACOM, not CENTCOM. The blockade is now global.

Words vs Actions: Pentagon calls this "enforcement, not escalation." Iran calls it "piracy." Meanwhile, Iran seized 2 ships of its own on Apr 23, and Trump issued a shoot-to-kill order for Iranian boats laying mines. Both sides are escalating through actions while their words frame it as defensive.

The critical gap: USS Boxer with the 11th MEU is still near Guam, weeks from CENTCOM. A second MEU on station would provide the amphibious mass needed for beach operations at Kharg. Each boarding incident is a potential trigger for Iranian military response that cascades to BIF-1. The 31st MEU is dual-capable — doing VBSS today, carrying assault capability tomorrow.