US military turns around 6 ships, ‘completely’ halts trade from Iran’s ports amid blockade

The U.S. military on Tuesday said it has turned six ships around in its effort to “completely” halt trade from Iran’s ports — the first effort since President Trump imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Within the first 24 hours of the blockade, six merchant vessels complied with U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) wrote in a post on social platform X. This included two oil tankers that departed from Chabahar Port, Reuters reported.

Centcom commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement that the blockade of Iranian ports “has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East.”

“An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea,” Cooper continued. “In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.”

Centcom previously stated that no ships passed the blockade within its first 24 hours. But two U.S.-sanctioned Chinese ships have passed through the strait, the medium-range tanker Rich Starry and the tanker Murlikishan. Both ships are in the Persian Gulf as of Wednesday morning, according to shipping data from Kpler.

Trump’s blockade follows marathon talks between the U.S., led by Vice President Vance, and Iranian government officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday. Neither side could come to an agreement.

One major point of discussion was the Strait of Hormuz, according to Vance and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei. The key shipping channel was closed following the start of the U.S.-Israeli military offensive against Iran on Feb. 28.

Iran briefly reopened the strait hours after the Trump administration and Tehran officials agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Iran closed it again the following day, stating that Israel’s strikes on Lebanon violated the conditions of the temporary truce.

The strait’s closure has caused a massive hike in global gas prices. In the U.S., the national average for gas is $4.11, according to AAA.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped facilitate discussions between the U.S. and Iran, will push for a diplomatic solution to the conflict during upcoming visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey this week, Al Jazeera reported.

Trump said Tuesday that talks with Iran were running a “bit slow” but were “underway.”

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Bessent says order requiring banks to collect citizenship information ‘in ...

Former Biden official says Trump’s blockade ‘might be helpful’ in ...

Senate GOP divided over Trump push for Iran war funding

Rogan cracks up over Trump’s explanation of AI Jesus image

2028 buzz builds as shadow presidential primary takes shape

GOP senators grow uncomfortable with Trump rhetoric, endgame for Iran

US-China tensions flare over Strait of Hormuz blockade 

TMZ launches DC bureau, tracks down Graham, Cruz on first day

Senate GOP divided over Viktor Orbán's loss in Hungary

A lawsuit against a Black Lives Matter activist could chill all of our speech

Cases of drug-resistant infection that causes diarrhea are rising: What to know

Anthropic’s Mythos puts DC, Wall Street on high alert

Miller on Swalwell: Dems have ‘blackmail files’ for when it suits them

Spanberger signs bill ending tax breaks for Confederate groups

Trump’s Federal Reserve pick discloses more than $130M in assets ahead of ...

China’s electric vehicles are coming to North America at a terrible time

Dems race to distance themselves from Swalwell amid allegations of rape, assault

Europeans aren’t prepared for what it means to align with Iran, Russia

The Hill Podcasts – Morning Report

© The Hill