US stresses effectiveness of blockade based on impact to Iran’s economy
- Any ships that exit the region are being watched by US forces and have not necessarily defied the blockade, according to a US defence official
- Focus is on overall impact to Iranian trade, rather than movements of ships into and out of area
The US is assessing the effectiveness of the blockade by its impact on Iran’s economy, according to a US defence official, who stressed that vessels transiting past the blockade can be intercepted outside the region
THE US is measuring the effectiveness of its blockade on Iran based on the impact to the country’s trade, a defence official told Lloyd’s List.
The naval blockade was imposed on April 13 after US President Donald Trump announced the measures following the failure of negotiators to reach a deal with Iranian officials.
There has been some confusion over the exact parameters of the blockade, but US Central Command later clarified that it applies to ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
The scope of the blockade was then later expanded to include any vessels carrying “contraband”, including oil.
In a briefing given on April 16, US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, displayed a graphic showing the US blockade running along a line starting from the Iran-Pakistan border to around Ras al Hadd, Oman, implying control of movements to-and-from the Gulf of Oman.
That graphic was dated April 13, suggesting that line had been in place since the blockade was implemented.
Analysts have turned to tracking Iranian-linked vessels sailing into and out of the Gulf of Oman region to assess the effectiveness of US enforcement.
A Lloyd’s List analysis published Monday found that at least 26 shadow fleet* vessels had entered or departed the Gulf of Oman since the blockade was implemented.
However, a defence official told Lloyd’s List on Tuesday that the US military is assessing the effectiveness of the blockade based on the impact to the Iranian economy, not strictly by the number of Iran-linked vessels transiting past the blockade line presented on April 16.
Further, the official stressed that US forces are watching all ships that exit the region and are able to intercept vessels at any time or place of their choosing.
In the early hours of Tuesday, US forces boarded the falsely flagged, very large crude carrier Tifani (IMO: 9273337) in the Indian Ocean. That interception came after US forces over the weekend boarded the Iran-flagged containership Touska (IMO: 9328900).
Lloyd’s List has tracked at least five Iranian shadow fleet vessels that have either U-turned when attempting to enter or exit the Gulf of Oman or have seen their voyages interrupted since the US blockade came into force.
Centcom said on Tuesday that it has directed 28 vessels to turn around or return to port since the blockade began.
