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Oil tankers defy US blockade as Saudis push Trump to end Hormuz closure

Sanctioned oil tankers test President Trump’s naval blockade of Iran, passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

By World Israel News Staff

Multiple oil tankers challenged the US naval blockade against Iran on Tuesday, passing through the Strait of Hormuz in defiance of warnings by the Trump administration.

According to a report by Reuters, the Rich Starry, a Chinese-owned tanker under US sanctions, became the first vessel of its kind to exit the Gulf after the blockade took effect.

Shipping data also showed other Iran-linked tankers moving through the waterway on the first full day of enforcement.

The American blockade began Monday after weekend talks with Iran in Islamabad failed to produce a broader settlement to the six-week war.

Washington has said neutral ships traveling to and from non-Iranian ports are still allowed to pass, but any vessel tied to Iranian ports risks interception or seizure.

That carveout appears to explain why some ships were still able to transit Hormuz. Reuters said the vessels that passed were not headed to Iranian destinations, meaning they may not have violated the formal terms of the blockade even as they exposed its practical limits.

The renewed maritime confrontation has intensified anxiety across the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly pressing Washington to lift the blockade and return to diplomacy, out of concern that Iran could retaliate by threatening the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, another critical shipping chokepoint.

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The Wall Street Journal reported that other Gulf states are also quietly urging Washington to step back from the blockade, while Reuters has reported parallel efforts to create humanitarian and commercial mechanisms to move essential goods through the region despite the conflict.

Oil markets were already reacting before Tuesday’s tanker movements. Prices rose above $100 a barrel as shipping activity slowed and vessels turned around or delayed passage while operators assessed the risks of the blockade.

China has criticized the blockade as dangerous and irresponsible, though Beijing did not confirm whether Chinese ships were directly involved in Tuesday’s transit.

At the same time, a separate Reuters report said China has been scrambling to replace disrupted Middle East energy supplies with imports from Brazil, Russia and other sources.