The U.S. Navy has turned back 13 ships since its blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman began more than 24 hours earlier, the Pentagon said Thursday.
President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after complaining that Tehran has not appeared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of his conditions for agreeing to the fragile two-week ceasefire that is currently in effect.
The attempt to ratchet pressure on Iran began after an initial round of U.S.-Iran peace talks failed over the weekend. The U.S. on Wednesday continued to signal optimism about the prospect of reaching a diplomatic end to the war, which began Feb. 28.
“The U.S. action is a blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline, not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine noted at a press briefing Thursday morning.
Trump had declared on Sunday that the U.S. would blockade the strait itself, before U.S. Central Command later clarified the scope of enforcement.
