When is a blockade not a blockade?
Several ships linked to Iran, including a Chinese vessel, are coursing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports on Tuesday — a day after President Donald Trump imposed a blockade on the strategic oil pipeline.
Two ships, Christianna and Elpis, stopped at Iranian ports in defiance of the blockade, The New York Post reported, citing MarineTraffic data.
Two other ships, the tankers Rich Starry and Murlikishan, passed through the strait overnight, according to The Post, adding that the Rich Starry is owned by a Chinese shipping company.
The U.S. Central Command, however, said that no ships have crossed the strait since the blockade began, and six were forced to turn around.
“More than 10,000 U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.”
The statement went on: “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.”
On Monday, Trump threatened to blow up any Iranian ships attempting to violate the blockade, saying any boats that try it will be “ELIMINATED” in the same way his administration attacked suspected drug-running boats from South America.
Trump shared the warning in a post on Truth Social. It came 23 minutes after the blockade went into effect at 10 a.m. Monday.
“Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we did not consider them much of a threat,” Trump posted. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.”
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