Dozens of ships including Iranian and Chinese-linked vessels sail straight through Donald Trump’s blockade
The US president has threatened to sink any ship that defies the blockade
Dozens of ships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz despite Donald Trump imposing a blockade on the waterway, shipping data suggests.
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The US president has threatened to sink any ship that defies the blockade, warning US troops will employ “the same system of kill” deployed against drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea.
But multiple ships have seemingly ignored the warning, including Iran and China-linked vessels, by passing through the trade route in the last 24 hours.
Two of the Iran-linked vessels that passed through the strait, the Christianna and Elpis, sailing under the Liberian and Comoros flags respectively, had formerly been at Iranian ports, MarineTraffic data indicates.
The Madagascar-flagged tanker Murlikishan, which is under US sanctions for Iran-linked trade, travelled west through the strait after departing Lanshan in China.
Rich Starry, a Chinese-owned medium-range tanker carrying around 250,000 barrels of methanol, also appeared to pass through the waterway having loaded its cargo from the UAE, Reuters reported.
Read more: Lammy holds talks with US Vice President as blockade crisis in Strait of Hormuz continues
It comes as the US military's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has been “fully implemented,” the US Central Command announced on Tuesday night.
"A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East,” Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, wrote on o X.
He added: “'An estimated 90 percent of Iran's economy is fueled by international trade by sea.“In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea."
American warships have since ordered six vessels to turn around, according to a US official.
Five of the ships were reportedly carrying oil while the contents of the other was unclear, the official told NBC News.
Two of the oil-carrying vessels turned back in the first two hours after the blockade came into effect on Monday morning.
A US Navy destroyer intercepted two of those oil tankers attempting to leave Iran that departed from Chabahar Port in the Gulf of Oman.
The US Navy‘s blockade on the vital waterway began at 3pm yesterday and it applies to any ship entering and exiting Iranian ports.
China has slammed the siege as “dangerous and irresponsible”.
Guo Jiakun, a Chinese Government spokesperson, said: “Such actions will only intensify contradictions, exacerbate tensions, undermine the already fragile ceasefire, and further jeopardise the security of navigation through the strait.”
Trump ordered a blockade of Iran's ports in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after the two sides failed to reach a deal over the weekend during talks in Pakistan, despite negotiations lasting over 21 hours.
The development comes after US Vice President JD Vance accused Iran's rulers of "economic terrorism", hours after the US blockade got underway.
Speaking on Tuesday, Vance hit out at the blocking of traffic through the Strait - a key economic trade route - insisting "two could play at that game".
The US insisted the "ball is in Iran's court" with regard to the blockade, as Vance vowed that "no Iranian ships are getting out either" in an apparent tit-for-tat move.