Six merchant ships have turned around and returned to Iranian ports after encountering the US naval blockade limiting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said on Tuesday.
More than 10,000 US service members and 12 US Navy ships are engaged in the blockade of Iranian ports that is being enforced “against vessels of all nations” coming in or out of Iranian ports, the command said.
“During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade and 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” a release from US Central Command said.
The official said the US is not enforcing a full blockade of the strait — only a blockade of ships entering and exiting Iranian ports along the entire Iranian coastline.
The US also sent destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz last weekend to demonstrate that there is a safe path through the waterway, the official said.