Sanctioned Iranian ships bypass US Hormuz blockade ‘without disturbance’: Report

Iranian media outlets said a super tanker carrying oil and a bulk carrier carrying food supplies transited the strait  

News Desk - The Cradle 

A sanctioned Iranian oil tanker has successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz – bypassing the newly imposed US blockade on the Islamic Republic’s ports, Iranian media reported on 15 April. 

“An Iranian VLCC super tanker under US sanctions, listed on the US sanctions list, entered Iranian waters without any concealment and with its positioning system turned on, passing through the open sea and the Strait of Hormuz,” Fars News Agency reported. 

“This super tanker, capable of carrying two million barrels of crude oil, by keeping its positioning system on, effectively challenged the sanctions and threats of the US terrorist military and reached its destination without the slightest disturbance,” the report added. 

According to a report by Mehr News Agency, Iran has taken additional measures to bypass the US blockade by using alternative ports rather than those in the country’s south. 

Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday as well that another ship transited the Strait of Hormuz and headed towards Imam Khomeini Port. 

“A bulk carrier carrying food supplies has entered the Persian Gulf and is moving towards Imam Khomeini Port,” it said.

The US military claims no vessels have made it past the blockade since it was announced. Reuters cited a US official as saying that two oil tankers attempting to leave Iran on Tuesday were interdicted.

The US blockade came after the Islamabad talks between Tehran and Washington concluded with no agreement on Sunday. 

CENTCOM announced on Sunday night that it would begin a blockade “of all maritime traffic entering and exiting” Iranian ports starting 10:00 am Eastern Time (ET) on 13 April.

Washington aims to block ships entering or leaving Iranian ports from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian army said in response that it would act “decisively” to secure its “permanent” control of the Strait of Hormuz, while vowing that “If the security of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is threatened, no port in these waters will remain safe.”

The Chinese government said in a statement on 14 April that Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports is “dangerous and irresponsible.”

The blockade will only “exacerbate tensions, undermine the already fragile ceasefire and further threaten the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.