Iran war: Six ships turned around as part of Strait of Hormuz blockade, US military says

WASHINGTON: No ships have made it past a U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports and coastal areas, and six merchant ships have followed orders to turn back, the U.S. military said on Tuesday, providing the first details on a day-old effort ordered by President Donald Trump after ‌peace talks between ⁠the ⁠U.S. and Iran broke down.

The U.S. military has said that the blockade, which ​started on Monday, would only apply to ships going to or from Iran, including ​all Iranian ports on the Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

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"During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and ​six merchant vessels complied with direction ⁠from U.S. forces to ‌turn around to re-enter an Iranian port ​on the Gulf ​of Oman," the U.S. military's Central Command said ⁠in the statement.

More than 10,000 U.S. military personnel, more than ​a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft were enforcing ​the blockade, it said.

"The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas," the statement added.

In a note sent to seafarers about the blockade on Monday, the U.S. military said: "Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area ‌without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture."

Also read: Trump deploys 10,000 troops, over 12 warships & more for Hormuz blockade; no ships cross in first 24 hours, says US Central Command

The Monday note said the blockade would include all of Iran's ​coastline, but humanitarian ​shipments including food, medical ⁠supplies and other essential goods would be permitted, subject to inspection.

Trump announced the blockade following the breakdown of weekend talks to end the six-week-long ​war between the U.S. and Iran, sending oil prices back above $100 a barrel. The blockade adds to uncertainty around how ships will transit the crucial waterway, used to move one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies.