WSJ: U.S. Has Intercepted Eight Iranian Tankers Since Start of Blockade

The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. official, reported that the United States Navy has intercepted eight tankers either entering or leaving Iranian ports since the blockade began on Monday morning.

According to U.S. officials, American forces reached out to the crews in each case via radio, instructing them to change course and turn back. Officials said all tankers followed these orders, and there was no need to board any of the vessels.

A U.S. destroyer reportedly made initial contact with the first two ships, which had departed from Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman.

As tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz, and with Pakistan attempting to mediate between Iran and the United States, Turkey is preparing to host a three-day summit focused on finding a diplomatic way forward in the Middle East conflict.

Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, said on Wednesday that a “blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented,” adding that nearly 90 percent of Iran’s economy depends on maritime trade.

“In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” Cooper wrote in a post on X.

The summit, known as the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, will include an address by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt are also expected to attend.

According to Agence France-Presse, the foreign ministers of these countries will hold a separate meeting on the sidelines of the forum, which begins on Friday.

Pakistan, which is playing a key mediating role, hosted senior delegations from both the U.S. and Iran last week, but those talks did not lead to an agreement.

Despite that setback, diplomatic efforts are still ongoing. On Thursday, Asim Munir met with senior Iranian officials in Tehran.

There are also indications that delegations from both sides could meet again soon in Islamabad to continue negotiations.