CENTCOM has refuted reports that it has broken the ship’s blockade, as President Trump says talks between the US and Iran could resume within the next two days.
Published April 14, 2026
The Pentagon said no ships had “passed through” the Strait of Hormuz in the 24 hours since the U.S. military blockade began, and six commercial ships had complied with orders to turn back.
Tuesday’s statement from the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) was the first update since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the waterway blockade after weekend U.S.-Iranian talks in Pakistan failed to reach an agreement to end the war that the U.S. and Israel began on Feb. 28.
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Centcom said the blockade only applies to ships “entering or leaving Iranian ports” and other ships can freely pass through the waterway.
It added: “U.S. forces support freedom of navigation for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”
At least three ships passed through the strait in the first 24 hours of the blockade, Reuters reported, citing shipping data. This included two tankers sanctioned by the United States. According to Reuters, the three vessels were not heading to Iranian ports.
However, Agence France-Presse and several US media outlets, citing data from maritime tracking firm Kpler, reported that two ships passed through the waterway after leaving an Iranian port on Monday.
Centcom said 10,000 U.S. sailors, marines and airmen took part in the operation, as well as more than a dozen U.S. warships and dozens of aircraft.
Military observers have widely said that while the U.S. military has the ability to maintain a blockade for now, continued pressure increases the likelihood of an attack on Iran. That could cause a two-week ceasefire that began on Wednesday to collapse.
Meanwhile, attempts to intercept ships of strategic adversaries, including China, could trigger new escalations. This strategy is also likely to continue to disrupt global oil markets.
Iran has condemned the U.S. approach as “piracy,” but President Trump on Monday pledged to “eliminate” Iranian vessels that try to break through the blockade.
President Trump talks about possibility of further talks
Tuesday’s update came after 21 hours of talks between a U.S. delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance and an Iranian delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf failed to reach a breakthrough, with both sides signaling they were open to further negotiations.
The talks were the highest level of face-to-face contact between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Key unresolved issues include control of the Strait of Hormuz, the future of Iran’s nuclear program, and whether the ceasefire also extends to Israel’s ongoing invasion and shelling of Lebanon.
In an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, President Trump said “something could happen in the next two days” in Islamabad, praising Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, one of the officials who have been leading the negotiations.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem said officials said messages had already been exchanged on what both sides considered “bridgeable issues.”
“Iran is open to dialogue and has shown that attitude since his visit to Islamabad last week. The main hurdle has always been mistrust, distrust between the two sides,” Hashem said.
“They’ve reiterated to the Iranians that they’re open. If the Americans want to fight, they’re going to fight. And if they want to talk, they can talk.”
