U.S. Claims Success in First 24 Hours of Iranian Shipping Blockade
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command reported that no Iran-linked shipping traffic had made it past its blockade during the first 24 hours of operation.
At least three Iran-linked tankers successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz in an apparent attempt to challenge the newly-implemented blockade overnight Monday, but AIS data does not indicate that they made it further than the northern end of the Gulf of Oman. One of them, the China-linked Rich Starry, appeared to turn around and go to anchor before reaching the enforcement zone for the blockade. The other two appear to have anchored due west of Jask.
CENTCOM added that six Iran-linked vessels had followed U.S. directions to turn around and return to an Iranian port. The degree of compliance with U.S. instructions may expand soon: Bloomberg reports that Iran's leadership is considering a plan to temporarily pause its shipping in order to avoid derailing peace talks with Washington, which are expected to begin again shortly.
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Non-Iranian vessels continued to transit in limited numbers overnight Monday. In its statement, CENTCOM re-emphasized that "U.S. forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports." The blockade is tailored to apply to all vessels (irrespective of flag) heading to or coming from ports in Iran.
More than a dozen warships are on hand to enforce the blockade, along with dozens of aircraft and more than 10,000 Marines and sailors. The enforcement zone is located to the southeast in the Gulf of Oman and away from the dangers of the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has a significant geographic advantage.
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