U.S. Central Command said in an X social media post on 23 April that U.S. forces ordered 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of a naval blockade of Iran.
The command noted that “most complied with U.S. instructions” and that “most were oil tankers.”
The United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports on 13 April in response to Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a stumbling block in efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran that began on 28 February.
The White House said the day before that US President Donald Trump wants to see a “unified” response from Tehran to United States proposals to end the war and has not yet set a “clear deadline”.
The statement came after Trump unilaterally extended a ceasefire with Iran that was due to expire on 22 April. The US president is “offering some flexibility” to the Iranian regime, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told reporters.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, criticised the US blockade of Iranian ports amid uncertainty over the prospects for further peace talks with the United States, repeating Tehran’s claim that the restriction was a violation of a ceasefire the countries agreed to earlier in April.
Qalibaf added that “the restoration of the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”