Ships cross Hormuz Strait despite US blockade on Iran, CENTCOM denies
Shafaq News- Tehran
Commercial vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday despite a US-imposed blockade on Iranian ports, Iranian media reported.
Iranian outlets said a sanctioned Iranian vessel and another cargo ship transited the strait and entered the Gulf of Oman, defying US warnings of tighter controls.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied that any vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 48 hours. It earlier said the blockade had been fully implemented, with American forces maintaining naval dominance and restricting traffic linked to Iranian ports. The measures were announced by US President Donald Trump after the collapse of US-Iran talks in Islamabad, amid a fragile ceasefire that has yet to stabilize the conflict.
During the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces. Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area. pic.twitter.com/h4msgvaPTl
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 15, 2026
Maritime data, however, shows some vessels continue to pass through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz carries around 20% of global oil supply, or roughly 20 million barrels per day, making disruptions a major risk to global markets. Shipping traffic has dropped sharply since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, falling from more than 100 vessels per day to a fraction of that level, with hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf.
