ConflictClarifier

2026 Iran-Gulf Crisis Tracker
CC
Events Archive
diplomacyApr 14, 2026

What blockade? 5 Iran-linked ships transit Hormuz on Day 1, cock a snook at Trump

Summary

What blockade? 5 Iran-linked ships transit Hormuz on Day 1, cock a snook at Trump US President Donald Trump announced a blockade, vowing to prevent even a single ship from entering or leaving Iran's ports. However, on Day 1 of the naval blockade, four Iran-linked tankers and a bulk carrier transited through the Strait of Hormuz, as if in open defiance of Trump. American President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would impose a unilateral blockade targeting maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said no ship would be allowed to enter or leave Iran's port in the blockade that took effect at 10 AM ET on Monday, April 13. However, on Day 1 of the American blockade, at least five Iran-linked ships travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, in open defiance of Trump's blockade. Of the five, three tankers were those that had been sanctioned earlier by the US for dealing in Iranian oil. Trump's announcement on Sunday seemed like an overall blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. But the US Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly clarified that the measure would focus on vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, while explicitly not impeding freedom of navigation for ships travelling between non-Iranian ports. But despite Trump's declaration that the US Navy ("the finest in the world" as per the President) would throttle all ship traffic linked to Iran, early results have been mixed. Ship-tracking data from firms such as Kpler, LSEG, and MarineTraffic, as cited by Reuters and the BBC, show that several vessels with links to Iran or subject to US sanctions have transited the Strait of Hormuz without reported interdiction following the start of the blockade. WHICH IRAN-LINKED SHIPS DEFIED US BLOCKADE ON DAY 1? Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), LSEG data cited by Reuters showed. The vessel typically moves Iranian naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, to other non-Iranian Middle Eastern ports for export to Asia. The Madagascar-flagged tanker Murlikishan is heading to Iraq to load fuel on April 16, Kpler data showed. The vessel, formerly known as MKA, has transported Russian and Iranian oil. The US-sanctioned vessel sailed from Lanshan in China and headed west through the Strait overnight, reported Reuters and BBC. Another US-sanctioned tanker, the Liberia-flagged Elpis, crossed the Strait heading east overnight. The vessel commenced its journey from the Iranian port of Bushehr, the BBC reported, citing tracking data. It is also under US sanctions for enabling Iranian trade and its destination is unknown. Note, the vessel was not interdicted by the US Navy despite having sailed from an Iranian port. SANCTIONED SHIPS AMONG THOSE THAT TRANSITIONED STRAIT OF HORMUZ The Rich Starry, a Chinese-owned, Malawi-flagged tanker, sanctioned by the US for Iran-related trade, sailed east from Sharjah in the UAE, reported Reuters and the BBC, The tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, were sanctioned by the US for dealing with Iran. Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker that is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, according to the data. It loaded the cargo at its last port of call, the UAE's Hamriyah, the data showed. Alongside the tankers, a bulk carrier (used for transporting commodities like raw minerals and food grains) linked to Iran was also reported as having crossed the Strait. The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, Christianna, was reported by the BBC as having crossed the Strait on Monday after the blockade began, having called at Iran's Bandar Iman Khomeini, according to ship-tracking data. That being said, the BBC notes that it is possible these ships could have been broadcasting false position reports through a process known as "spoofing" to disguise their locations. However they might have transited the Strait of Hormuz, five ships have cocked a snook at Trump and the blockade imposed by the "finest navy of the world".

Actors involved

USIranRussiaChina

Sources

  • India Today Global DeskBy India Today Global Desk

    What blockade? 5 Iran-linked ships transit Hormuz on Day 1, cock a snook at Trump US President Donald Trump announced a blockade, vowing to prevent even a single ship from entering or leaving Iran's ports. However, on Day 1 of the naval blockade, four Iran-linked tankers and a bu…

See this event through different lenses

Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.

Compare Perspectives

Community Notes

Community Notes

Loading notes...

Related events

diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
○ 1 source

Key points: Bitcoin diverges from US stocks as Trump says Strait of Hormuz “open” Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD building on the week’s gains as the S&P 500 bounced from 7,696, its lowest level since Aug. 4. BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView This came after US president Donald Trump posted a map of the closed Strait of Hormuz oil route to Truth Social where it was labeled “new US territory.

” Both the US and Iran lay claim to control of Hormuz, with Trump threatening US ally Oman with military action over its plans to work with Iran on charging tolls to shipping traffic. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that further diplomacy with Iran was not on the agenda.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he wrote. S&P 500 one-day chart.

Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView As on Monday, oil avoided major volatility, with WTI crude down 1% at the time of writing at $84 per barrel. US government bonds continued to show strain, with the 30-year yield hitting 5.34%, its highest since January 2007.

“Bond prices are sending warnings,” BNY Mellon analyst Geoff Yu wrote in a research note quoted by the New York Times. Yu said that the surge came as “investors demand more compensation for inflation risk,” while also attributing the upside to government borrowing.

US 30-year bond yields one-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView BTC price faces crunch rebound test Updating X followers on BTC/USD, trader and analyst Aksel Kibar eyed the culmination of a potential reverse head-and-shoulders pattern at $62,300.

Related: Bitcoin price spike to $64.5K was ‘low-volume liquidity trap’: Analysis “If $BTCUSD is going to rebound, it has to come from here,” he argued on Monday. Kibar offered a $53,000 target in the event of the head-and-shoulders structure failing, with $76,000 a potential upside target should the rebound sustain.

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar on X.com Previously, Cointelegraph reported that underwater investors were contributing to Bitcoin’s inability to break higher. Its rebound to $64,500 also stopped short of an overhead trend line, the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA).

This moving average is now in place as resistance at $65,827.

Location: Strait of Hormuz
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
○ 1 source

Trump says no talks underway with Iran, Hormuz blockade remains in place US president says no discussions are taking place or planned with Tehran and reiterates that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains fully operational Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran and that no discussions are currently scheduled between the two countries.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also said the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains "in full force and effect." The president did not provide further details regarding US policy towards Iran or any potential future diplomatic engagement.

Trump's comments come amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed focus on security and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Location: Tehran
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
○ 1 source

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran had “won both the war and diplomacy,” claiming those who initially sought Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” later sought negotiations. Speaking at an event, Araghchi said Iran resisted for days against what he described as “the world’s largest apparent military,” alongside another army claiming military power and with the support of nearly all Western countries and some other states inside and outside the region, according to the Tasnim news agency.

“Those who were seeking unconditional surrender, shortly after the war began, begged for negotiations,” Araghchi said. He claimed Tehran initially rejected a ceasefire and continued fighting until reaching a point where the other side accepted a ceasefire and negotiations “on Iran’s terms.

” “We fought with strength, and we negotiated with strength,” he said, adding that many foreign ministers had told him: “You won both the war and diplomacy.” Araghchi’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump called on Iran on Monday to give up and “raise the white flag.

Location: Tehran
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
○ 1 source

- Iran demands US lift sanctions and return frozen assets to reopen Strait of Hormuz - Iran's Parliament Speaker warns closure of Strait continues until US ends military threats - Around 20% of global oil supply passes through the Strait, impacting energy security Iran has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US meets a set of conditions, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions and what Tehran describes as a US blockade and military threats.

Al-Arabiya English reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Trump administration must meet the conditions before Tehran considers reopening the strategic waterway. “Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Ghalibaf said.

Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. pic.twitter.com/fl2RrKnT1R— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 18, 2026 Ghalibaf also warned that Iran was prepared to respond more forcefully depending on the actions of its adversaries.

ALSO READ: 'We Control Hormuz': Trump To Declare Strait As US Territory? Here's What President Says The comments add a new condition to an already fragile diplomatic environment, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of concerns over global energy supplies.

Around one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes through the waterway, making any prolonged disruption a major risk for crude markets, shipping and energy security. Earlier, Press TV reported that Ghalibaf is scheduled to travel to Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level Iranian delegation for discussions with Iraqi leaders.

The talks are expected to cover regional developments and bilateral cooperation, including border security, counterterrorism, economic ties and implementation of existing agreements. Iraqi media have also reported that the agenda could include a proposal concerning Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit comes as regional governments grapple with the implications of continued disruption in one of the world's most important energy corridors. ALSO READ: Hormuz Tensions: Another Ship Hit By Unknown Projectile, Says UKMTO Centre The security situation in the waterway has also remained tense.

The UK's Maritime Trade Operations agency, or UKMTO, said a vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. “The Company Security Officer has reported that the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz,” UKMTO said.

The impact damaged the vessel's engine room and resulted in a crew casualty, the agency said. The remaining crew was being assisted by the Omani coastguard. Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

Location: Tehran