Middle East

US Says 14 Ships Turned Around Rather Than Test Blockade

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks as a map of the Strait of Hormuz is displayed during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 16.

Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Fourteen vessels have turned around in three days rather than test a US naval blockade on Iranian-linked ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said.

“U.S. forces are focused, vigilant, and highly motivated as they execute a blockade on vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports,” the command postedBloomberg Terminal on social media Thursday.