Published: April 14, 2026 23:11
Reading Time: 2min – Video: 2min
French President Emmanuel Macron stated this Tuesday morning that it is “important for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened without controls or checks as soon as possible.” In fact, six vessels departing from Iranian ports crossed the Strait of Hormuz today. They were reportedly stopped by American naval forces, who claim that the blockade is in place. What could happen to them exactly?
This text is part of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.
Since the implementation of the American blockade on Monday, April 13 at 4 p.m., we have tracked several ships coming from Iranian ports that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz. We retraced their routes using maritime maps. The first identified boat was the Christianna, a Liberian-flagged cargo ship. It left the Iranian port of Bandar-e Emam Khomeini on April 10 at 10 p.m. carrying maize. It smoothly sailed past the Iranian island of Larak, controlled by Tehran, around 6 p.m. last night, two hours after the American blockade was established.
The second identified ship was the tanker Elpis, flying the flag of the Comoros. This vessel is under American sanctions for its ties with Iran. It departed from the Iranian port of Bushehr on March 31 at 8:36 a.m. It also passed near the island of Larak at 6 p.m. yesterday, after the American blockade. However, since then, one of them has turned back, while the other remains stationary at the entrance of the Gulf of Oman.
A third ship, the Chinese tanker Rich Starry carrying methanol and also under American sanctions, transited through the strait before the blockade, then stopped and turned back.
Did these ships stop on their own or were they intercepted by the United States upon exiting the strait? The American military announces that they were indeed stopped: “During the first 24 hours, no ship managed to break through the American blockade and six merchant ships complied with the order from the American forces to turn around and return to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman,” X confirms the U.S. Central Command.
10,000 American soldiers, over ten warships including two destroyers, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, and dozens of aircraft are mobilized for this blockade. The United States is applying maximum pressure to prompt the resumption of negotiations with Iran. Talks could resume by the end of the week.
