Iran
US Apache helicopters fly above the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol on April 17. Photo: CENTCOM
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Thursday that more than 30 ships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday under the coordination and protection of its navy, despite an ongoing US naval blockade on Iranian ports.
“Over the past 24 hours, 31 ships, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels, crossed the Strait of Hormuz under the coordination and security provided by the IRGC Navy,” the IRGC Navy said, claiming that “Transit through the Strait of Hormuz is currently being carried out by obtaining permission and in coordination with the IRGC Navy.”
The announcement comes amid months of maritime restrictions in the strategic waterway following the six-week war involving the US, Israel, and Iran that began on February 28. The conflict was followed by a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire on April 8, which US President Donald Trump later extended indefinitely.
Since April 11, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has enforced a blockade on Iranian ports, causing major disruptions to Iran’s economy amid reports of shortages of raw materials across the country.
CENTCOM, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said on Thursday that its forces had “redirected 94 commercial vessels and disabled 4 while enforcing the blockade to prevent the flow of commerce into and out of Iranian ports.”
Trump told reporters late Thursday, “We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that the US naval blockade has been “hundred percent effective, it’s like a steel wall,” while emphasizing that he wants the Strait “open, free, with no tolls.”
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passed before its virtual closure, has become a focal point of confrontation amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.
“Over the past 24 hours, 31 ships, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels, crossed the Strait of Hormuz under the coordination and security provided by the IRGC Navy,” the IRGC Navy said, claiming that “Transit through the Strait of Hormuz is currently being carried out by obtaining permission and in coordination with the IRGC Navy.”
The announcement comes amid months of maritime restrictions in the strategic waterway following the six-week war involving the US, Israel, and Iran that began on February 28. The conflict was followed by a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire on April 8, which US President Donald Trump later extended indefinitely.
Since April 11, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has enforced a blockade on Iranian ports, causing major disruptions to Iran’s economy amid reports of shortages of raw materials across the country.
CENTCOM, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said on Thursday that its forces had “redirected 94 commercial vessels and disabled 4 while enforcing the blockade to prevent the flow of commerce into and out of Iranian ports.”
Trump told reporters late Thursday, “We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz,” adding that the US naval blockade has been “hundred percent effective, it’s like a steel wall,” while emphasizing that he wants the Strait “open, free, with no tolls.”
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passed before its virtual closure, has become a focal point of confrontation amid ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.
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