Over 10,000 U.S. troops enforce blockade on vessels to and from Iranian ports

Xinhua
14 Apr 2026, 22:45 GMT+10

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that more than 10,000 troops are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports, impartially targeting vessels of all nations.

Six merchant vessels have complied with the direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, the command said on X.

"During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade," it said, noting that over 10,000 sailors, marines and airmen, along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft, are executing the blockade.

The blockade covers Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, it said.

At least nine commercial vessels have crossed the strait since Monday, according to the maritime data firm Kpler.

On Monday, CNN reported that there were at least 15 U.S. ships in the region that could participate in the blockade, though it was unclear where specifically the ships were.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Monday that the U.S. military will "eliminate" any ship of Iran if it comes close to the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Daily traffic in the strait has fallen to below 10 percent of pre-conflict levels, from more than 100 vessels before the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.

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