Shafaq News- Tehran

The United States has rerouted 48 vessels over the past 20 days as part of a maritime blockade on Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday.

CENTCOM also confirmed the deployment of the USS New Orleans in the Arabian Sea in support of the operation.

Washington has reinforced its presence in the Strait of Hormuz with additional military assets to sustain enforcement. Former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Mark Kimmitt told Shafaq News the buildup is intended to maintain the blockade over time, noting, “There is no inevitability that the deployment will result in large-scale naval confrontations, but the deployment will certainly give far more advantage to the U.S. forces.”

The command first outlined the measures on April 12, indicating that vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports would face restrictions, while transit to other destinations would remain permitted. US President Donald Trump later described the strait as effectively under US control, estimating that Iran is losing around $500 million per day.

Shipping data indicates reduced traffic through the strait. According to Kpler, seven tankers passed on Tuesday, five linked to Iran, while Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said volumes remain below pre-escalation levels.

The blockade was announced on April 13 after talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad failed, aiming to limit Iran’s oil revenues and transit income. The conflict that began on February 28, 2026, led to the closure of the strait, a key route that carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption.

Tehran has begun reducing oil production to avoid reaching storage limits, Iranian officials told Bloomberg, labeling the move as precautionary. They warned that maintaining current output could exhaust capacity within a month, while industry sources indicated that temporary shutdowns can be managed without long-term damage.