Media Says Over 30 Tankers Breached US Iran Blockade
Washington launched the blockade on April 13, initially targeting all maritime traffic entering or exiting Iran's coastal waters. By April 16, the scope had broadened to encompass Iranian vessels operating on the open seas, along with any ships transporting cargo deemed capable of supporting Tehran's war effort.
To date, American forces have seized one container ship in the Gulf of Oman and boarded a sanctioned tanker in the Indo-Pacific. On Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) disclosed that US forces had ordered 28 vessels to reverse course or return to port since the blockade took effect.
Speaking to CNBC the same day, US President Donald Trump offered a bullish assessment of the campaign. "The blockade has been a tremendous success," he said, adding that he would not lift the US embargo on the Strait of Hormuz until Washington secured a "final deal" with Iran.
Yet the media report tells a more complicated story. Of the 34 vessels that circumvented the blockade, at least 19 Iran-linked tankers successfully exited the Gulf, while a further 15 entered it from the Arabian Sea heading toward Iranian waters. Among those departing, at least six were reportedly transporting Iranian crude oil, collectively carrying an estimated 10.7 million barrels. At a discounted rate of $10 below Brent crude — the typical markdown applied to Iranian oil — the estimated value of that single shipment stands at approximately $910 million.
The blockade is one front in a broader conflict that erupted on Feb. 28, when US and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes against Iran, triggering a series of retaliatory attacks by Tehran on American assets and military installations across the Middle East. Islamabad subsequently hosted the most senior-level direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran since diplomatic relations were severed in 1979, with talks held April 11–12.
The Strait of Hormuz has itself become a flashpoint within the conflict. Iran briefly relinquished control of the waterway last Friday, only to reassert its grip the following day after Trump signaled that the blockade of Iranian ports would not be lifted.
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