The blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Strait of Hormuz announced by the US military took effect more than 16 hours ago. The move is an attempt by Donald Trump to force Tehran to reopen this strategic oil route.
The US president announced the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shortly after the breakdown of negotiations with Iran in Pakistan over the weekend.
Iran denounces a “serious violation of its sovereignty”
Tehran denounced on Monday a “serious violation of its sovereignty” after the entry into force of the maritime blockade imposed by the United States against Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
“The imposition of this maritime blockade constitutes a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” wrote Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, seen by AFP.
Denouncing an “illegal” act of “piracy”, Iran warned that it would attack the ports of its Gulf neighbors if “the security of the Islamic Republic's ports (…) is threatened”.
Vice President JD Vance on Monday accused Iran of “economic terrorism” for virtually blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
The US official defended the US blockade of Iranian ports, calling it a befitting retaliation. But more ships have passed through the strait, according to data cited by CNN and Reuters.
Sanctioned ships that broke the blockade
An oil tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday afternoon after the blockade imposed by the Trump administration on Iranian shipping went into effect, according to data published by Kpler, an analysis and information platform on global trade flows, writes CNN.
The tanker is registered in the Comoros Islands – an island country in the Indian Ocean located off the coast of Africa – and sails under the name Elpis.
The ship is partially loaded and has been placed on the sanctions list by the United States in 2025 for its “involvement in the sale, purchase and transport of Iranian oil” as part of Iran's “ghost fleet”.
And a Chinese oil tanker sanctioned by the United States crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, despite the US blockade of the strategic point, according to shipping data, Reuters reports.
The oil tanker “Rich Starry” owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd managed to cross the strait and leave the Persian Gulf, according to data provided by LSEG, MarineTraffic and Kpler.
The tanker and the company that owns it have been sanctioned by the United States for its dealings with Iran.
The Rich Starry is a medium-haul tanker that carries about 250,000 barrels of methanol on board, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, Hamriyah in the United Arab Emirates, shipping data shows.
The data showed that the Chinese-owned tanker has a Chinese crew on board.
Another US-sanctioned tanker, the Murlikishan, also headed for the strait on Tuesday, LSEG data showed.
The small, empty tanker is expected to load fuel in Iraq on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as the MKA, was carrying Russian and Iranian oil.
