US Says Its Blockade Against Iran Has Redirected 100 Vessels

By Paul Burkhardt

May 23, 2026 (Bloomberg) –US forces have redirected 100 commercial vessels during its six-week-long blockade of Iran’s ports, Central Command said.

The mission, supported by more than 200 aircraft and warships including two carrier strike groups and multiple guided-missile destroyers, started enforcing the blockade on April 13 “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,” CENTCOM said in a post on X Saturday.

The mission has “squeezed Iran economically,” CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said. The blockade also disabled four ships and allowed 26 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to pass, it added.

Commercial shipping passing through the vital Strait of Hormuz chokepoint has been largely halted since hostilities started. Only a few ships per day — mainly Iran-linked vessels — have recently made it through the waterway, which lies to the west of the US blockade, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Iran-linked vessels entering or leaving the Gulf may be switching off automated signals to avoid detection, making it harder to track flows in real time.

© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

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This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.

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