What blockade? 5 Iran-linked ships transit Hormuz on Day 1, cock a snook at Trump

US President Donald Trump announced a blockade, vowing to prevent even a single ship from entering or leaving Iran's ports. However, on Day 1 of the naval blockade, four Iran-linked tankers and a bulk carrier transited through the Strait of Hormuz, as if in open defiance of Trump.

American President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would impose a unilateral blockade targeting maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said no ship would be allowed to enter or leave Iran's port in the blockade that took effect at 10 AM ET on Monday, April 13. However, on Day 1 of the American blockade, at least five Iran-linked ships travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, in open defiance of Trump's blockade. Of the five, three tankers were those that had been sanctioned earlier by the US for dealing in Iranian oil.

Trump's announcement on Sunday seemed like an overall blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. But the US Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly clarified that the measure would focus on vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, while explicitly not impeding freedom of navigation for ships travelling between non-Iranian ports.

But despite Trump's declaration that the US Navy ("the finest in the world" as per the President) would throttle all ship traffic linked to Iran, early results have been mixed.

Ship-tracking data from firms such as Kpler, LSEG, and MarineTraffic, as cited by Reuters and the BBC, show that several vessels with links to Iran or subject to US sanctions have transited the Strait of Hormuz without reported interdiction following the start of the blockade.

Meanwhile, CENTCOM, on Tuesday evening, claimed the US blockade was being executed by "more than 10,000 sailors, Marines, and airmen, along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft". The CENTCOM handle on X claimed, "During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade and six merchant vessels complied with directions from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman."

The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. U.S. forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

WHICH IRAN-LINKED SHIPS DEFIED US BLOCKADE ON DAY 1?

Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), LSEG data cited by Reuters showed. The vessel typically moves Iranian naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, to other non-Iranian Middle Eastern ports for export to Asia.

The Madagascar-flagged tanker Murlikishan is heading to Iraq to load fuel on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil. The US-sanctioned vessel sailed from Lanshan in China and headed west through the Strait overnight, reported Reuters and BBC.

Another US-sanctioned tanker, the Liberia-flagged Elpis, crossed the Strait heading east overnight. The vessel commenced its journey from the Iranian port of Bushehr, the BBC reported, citing tracking data. It is also under US sanctions for enabling Iranian trade and its destination is unknown. Note, the vessel was not interdicted by the US Navy despite having sailed from an Iranian port.

SANCTIONED SHIPS AMONG THOSE THAT TRANSITIONED STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The Rich Starry, a Chinese-owned, Malawi-flagged tanker, sanctioned by the US for Iran-related trade, sailed east from Sharjah in the UAE, reported Reuters and the BBC,

The tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, were sanctioned by the US for dealing with Iran. Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE's Hamriyah, the data showed.

Alongside the tankers, a bulk carrier (used for transporting commodities like raw minerals and food grains) linked to Iran was also reported as having crossed the Strait. The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, Christianna, was reported by the BBC as having crossed the Strait on Monday after the blockade began, having called at Iran's Bandar Iman Khomeini, according to ship-tracking data.

That being said, the BBC notes that it is possible these ships could have been broadcasting false position reports through a process known as "spoofing" to disguise their locations. However they might have transited the Strait of Hormuz, five ships have cocked a snook at Trump and the blockade imposed by the "finest navy of the world".

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