CENTCOM says no ships passed U.S. blockade in first 24 hours

▲ This file photo, released by AFP, shows cargo ships and tankers underway off the coastal city of Fujairah in the Strait of Hormuz on February 25, 2026. (Yonhap)

US military-maritime blockade

CENTCOM says no ships passed U.S. blockade in first 24 hours

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Yonhap) -- No ships were able to pass the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports over the first 24 hours of its implementation, and six merchant vessels complied with naval orders to turn around and reenter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.

In an X post, the command offered an update on the maritime blockade that began at 10 a.m. Monday (Washington time), raising pressure on Iran after Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement during peace talks in Pakistan over the weekend.

It said that more than 10,000 U.S. sailors, Marines and airmen, along with a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports.

It also said that the blockade is being enforced "impartially" against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including those on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

For vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, the U.S. military is supporting freedom of navigation, it said.

The blockade in the strategically crucial strait appears aimed at putting pressure on Iran, as it could restrict Tehran's ability to export oil, a key source of revenue. Iran has apparently used the waterway as leverage for U.S. concessions during the war.

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