US says 129 ships diverted under naval blockade of Iran

CENTCOM announced Friday that 129 commercial vessels have been diverted and six disabled since the Iran blockade began April 13.apa+1
The blockade has slashed Iran's crude exports to under 300,000 barrels per day, costing Tehran an estimated $6 billion, according to Al Jazeera.aljazeera
Trump said May 31 the blockade would be lifted as part of ceasefire conditions but gave no timeline for withdrawal.facebook

US Central Command announced on Friday that 129 commercial vessels have been diverted and six ships disabled since the launch of the naval blockade against Iran on April 13, marking nearly eight weeks of maritime enforcement around Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.news.cgtn+3

Escalating Enforcement

The blockade, ordered by President Trump and implemented by CENTCOM beginning April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, enforces a perimeter closure preventing all maritime traffic from entering or exiting Iranian ports. The operation has steadily expanded in scope: by mid-May, CENTCOM reported 89 vessels redirected; by May 23, the figure surpassed 100, which the military described as a "milestone"; and by May 31, 118 vessels had been diverted with five disabled. More than 15,000 American troops are deployed to sustain the operation.iranintl+4

The six disabled vessels were ships that failed to comply with blockade orders, according to CENTCOM. Humanitarian aid ships have been permitted to pass — 15 were allowed through as of mid-May, and at least 26 by late May.thehill+2

Economic Toll on Iran

The blockade has cut deeply into Iran's oil revenues. According to Al Jazeera, Iran's crude oil and condensate exports fell from nearly 2 million barrels per day to under 300,000 bpd in May, based on data from trade intelligence firm Kpler. The drop represents the lowest level of Iranian crude shipments in at least six years, costing Tehran an estimated $6 billion in lost revenue. Approximately 80 percent of Iran's total exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.aljazeera

Tehran has denounced the blockade as unlawful and characterized US seizures of vessels near its ports as "piracy". Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously closed the strait in retaliation in mid-April, warning that any vessel attempting to navigate the passage would be targeted.aljazeera+1

Tanker Seizures and Broader Campaign

Separately, US forces have conducted multiple seizures of sanctioned tankers in the Indian Ocean as part of a broader campaign to interdict Iranian oil smuggling. The Wall Street Journal News Corp reported in May that the US seized an Iran-linked tanker called the Skywave in the Indian Ocean. Earlier operations in the region targeted the M/T Tifani in the Bay of Bengal and the tanker Bertha, according to Reuters.pbs+3

Trump said on May 31 that the blockade would be lifted as part of ceasefire conditions, though he did not provide a timeline.facebook

Sources (25)