U.S. blockade has turned back six ships leaving Strait of Hormuz

Democracy Dies in DarknessMore than a dozen American warships positioned in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea are acting as a “net,” officials said. None of the encounters with the merchant vessels has required escalation.April 14, 2026 at 3:03 p.m. EDT11 minutes agoOil tankers and cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from the United Arab Emirates, in mid-March. (Altaf Qadri/AP)U.S. warships confronted six merchant vessels seen departing an Iranian port, forcing them all to turn back, in the opening hours of the Trump administration’s bid to counter Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, military officials said Tuesday.