Iranian Tanker Ships Continue to Break Through US Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHRAN – Two US-sanctioned cargo ships have reportedly succeeded in crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels were heading to Iranian ports despite the blockade imposed by Washington in the strait, according to tracking data.
The Marine Traffic shipping monitoring website shows that several ships have passed through this vital trade route over the past two days, even as the US enforces a retaliatory blockade following the failure of peace negotiations to end the conflict that has lasted nearly seven weeks.
The US military stated on X that “after 72 hours of law enforcement, 14 ships have turned back to comply with the blockade on the orders of American forces.”
However, unlike previous updates, the report did not state that this prevented all attempts to cross to or from Iranian ports.
On Wednesday evening, the sanctioned container ship Zaynar 2 sailed west through the strait towards the Gulf, according to the Marine Traffic tracking platform.
The site indicated its destination as Larak Island, near the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and it was last moved near that location on Wednesday evening. The sanctioned cargo ship Neshat followed a similar route, crossing along the Iranian coastline as it transited the strait on Thursday morning, and Marine Traffic stated its destination as Bandar Abbas.
BREAKING; VISUAL CONFIRMATION: IRAN HAS SHIPPED OUT NINE MILLION BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL FROM FLOATING STORAGE IN THE GULF OF OMAN SINCE THE US BLOCKADE WENT INTO EFFECT ON 2026-04-13 AT 14:00 UTC
ANOTHER TWO MILLION BARRELS DEPARTED ON 2026-04-12 #OOTT #IranWar #Tankers
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 16, 2026
Its last signal around 15:00 GMT showed the ship anchored 16 kilometres from the port. “There is evidence that ships may have broken through” the US blockade, said Tom Sharpe, former Royal Navy commander, in a briefing for the maritime analysis group Windward.
Meanwhile, Fars News Agency reported on Thursday that Iranian oil shipments continue to move through the waters of the Persian Gulf despite the sea blockade imposed by the US. This aligns with various tracking sources reporting tanker activity in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman in recent days.
Fars reported that Iranian tankers are transporting around 11 million barrels of oil through the Sea of Oman to secret destinations after US President Donald Trump announced a blockade targeting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Citing ship tracking sites, the Iranian news outlet said this marks the first time shipments linked to Iran have exited the “blockade zone” since its implementation. The agency added that previous violations occurred via ships approaching the Gulf from international waters.
TankerTrackers.com stated that it has “VISUAL CONFIRMATION” that Iran shipped nine million barrels from floating storage in the Gulf of Oman after the blockade began, with an additional two million barrels sent just before the blockade’s enforcement.
Separate ship tracking data cited by Bloomberg shows that at least two US-sanctioned ships linked to Iran entered the Persian Gulf on Thursday using a route between Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands.
One of the ships, a supertanker capable of carrying up to two million barrels, entered empty and signalled that it was awaiting further instructions. The maritime intelligence firm Windward reported that ship movements between 14 and 15 April indicate ongoing Iran-related activity, and described the route of one tanker as a possible “blockade-breaking manoeuvre.”