US destroyer intercepts oil tankers trying to get out of Iran during blockade: report
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A US destroyer intercepted two oil tankers trying to leave Iran on Tuesday, a US official said, as part of the Trump administration’s blockade of Iranian ports.
Officer he told Reuters that the ships left the port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman before being contacted by a US warship through radio communication. The official added that the tankers are among the six ships that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday obeyed the orders of the US military to turn back to the Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.
“More than 10,000 US Sailors, Marines, and Airmen along with more than a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are conducting operations to interdict vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said. “During the first 24 hours, no ships passed the US blockade and 6 merchant ships obeyed the directive of the US military to turn around and re-enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.”
“This blockade is enforced indiscriminately against the ships of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman,” it added. “The US military supports freedom of navigation for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”
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The US Central Command on Tuesday said that “the US Navy’s guided missile destroyers are among the vessels engaged in a blockade that affects Iranian ports.” (CENTCOM)
The Pentagon did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about the reported blockade of oil tankers.
“The guided missile destroyers of the US Navy are among the vessels engaged in the blockade that affects Iranian ports. The blockade is enforced indiscriminately against the ships of all nations entering or leaving the coastal areas or ports of Iran,” CENTCOM said on Tuesday. “A conventional destroyer has a crew of over 300 sailors highly trained in offensive and defensive naval operations.”
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FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen north of Ras al-Khaimah, near the border of Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in the United Arab Emirates, on March 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper added in a statement that “the closure of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain sea superiority in the Middle East.”
The satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, an important sea route connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which is important for the world’s energy supply. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)
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Cooper said 90% of Iran’s economy is supported by international trade at sea.
“In less than 36 hours since the blockade, the US military has completely stopped economic trade and entry and exit from Iran by sea,” he said.
