The US military said early on Wednesday that its blockade of Iranian ports had been "fully implemented", preventing all of the country's trade by sea.
On X, US Central Command (CENTCOM) shared a statement from Commander Admiral Brad Cooper saying that Iran's sea trade had been "completely halted" by a blockade enforced by more than 10,000 sailors, Marines and the US Air Force.
"An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fuelled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea," Cooper said.
The statement came as the US blockade on Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz entered its second full day.
CENTCOM said the military had forced six merchant ships to turn around and "re-enter an Iranian port" on the first day of the blockade. A US Navy destroyer on Tuesday also prevented two oil tankers from leaving Iran, according to Reuters .
On Wednesday, Iran's Khatam al-Anbia Central HQ Major General Ali Abdollahi warned that Tehran would block the flow of trade in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea if the US does not lift its blockade.
We will not allow the flow of trade in the Arabian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea if the American blockade continues.” Sanctioned ships 'turn back' On Wednesday, the US-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry made its way back to the Strait of Hormuz after exiting the Gulf the day before, shipping data showed, failing to break through the US blockade.
The Rich Starry and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co, were placed under US sanctions for dealing with Iran. The company could not be reached for a comment.
The Rich Starry is a medium-range tanker carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol that was loaded at the port of Hamriyah in the UAE, Kpler data showed.
Another U.S.-sanctioned vessel, the Very Large Crude Carrier Alicia, which has a record of carrying Iranian oil since 2023, is entering the Gulf via the strait on Wednesday, Kpler and LSEG data showed. The empty tanker, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is heading to Iraq to load a cargo on Thursday, according to Kpler.
Separately, the Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I entered the Gulf via the strait on Wednesday in a second attempt to transit, according to the data. The tanker was among several vessels that tried to enter the Gulf on Sunday during the US-Iran ceasefire deal.
It is heading to Iraq to load Basra crude for Vietnam's Nghi Son refinery, according to the data and trade sources.
Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, which manages the Agios Fanourios I, and Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters . Shipping volume slashed The US blockade has created deeper uncertainties for shippers, oil companies and war risk insurers. Traffic remains at only a fraction of the 130-plus daily crossings before the US and Israel's war on Iran began on 28 February, industry sources cited by Reuters said on Tuesday.
Iran's Mehr news agency on Wednesday said Tehran would be using alternative ports in southern Iran to bypass the US blockade.
South Korea - a key importer of oil via the Strait of Hormuz - said on Wednesday it had secured 273 million barrels of crude oil from the Middle East and Kazakhstan through to the end of the year, with supplies routed outside the waterway.
Asia's fourth-largest economy has also secured 2.1 million metric tons of naphtha over the same period, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a press briefing following his visit as a special presidential envoy to Kazakhstan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the past week. South Korea relied on the Strait of Hormuz for 61 percent of its crude oil imports and 54 percent of its naphtha imports last year, Kang said, adding the government could not afford to wait passively for the regional situation to improve.
South Korea also held discussions with oil producers, including Saudi Arabia and Oman, on cooperation in areas such as constructing bypass pipelines and building oil storage facilities outside the Strait of Hormuz to mitigate risks from a potential blockade.
Meanwhile, European countries are putting together a post-war plan for a broad coalition of countries, excluding the US, to help free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the defensive mission would exclude "belligerent" parties, including the US, Israel, and Iran.