U.S. says 20 ships remain stranded at a key Iranian port due to naval blockade

Washington .- The United States Central Command stated this Tuesday that due to its naval blockade imposed on Iran, about 20 ships are stranded in the port of Chah Bahar, the only one with direct access to the Indian Ocean, being a key piece of trade with countries in southern and central Asia. «Before the US blockade of Iran, the port of Chah Bahar had an average of five ships anchored daily. Today more than twenty vessels remain stranded», reported the Central Command on its official X account. The US armed forces added that the naval blockade on Iranian ports, which has been in effect since April 13, has “almost entirely disrupted” the Islamic republic’s trade. The port of Chah Bahar is considered strategic because it is Iran’s only outlet to the Indian Ocean, which allows it to maintain trade routes without depending on the Strait of Hormuz.

Detention of the tanker M/T Stream

Furthermore, it functions as a key corridor to Afghanistan and Central Asia, facilitating the exchange of goods in the region.
This morning, the Central Command intercepted a commercial vessel in the Arabian Sea on suspicion that it was heading to Iran, although they released it after determining that it was not going to a port in that country.

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On Monday, Central Command reported that a U.S. Navy destroyer stopped the Iranian-flagged tanker M/T Stream, adding to at least two Iranian cargo ships captured in previous weeks in operations by U.S. forces. The US naval blockade on Iranian ports persists while talks to reach an agreement remain stalled, after a second round of negotiations scheduled for last weekend in Islamabad was postponed. Officials from the Islamic Republic have demanded that Washington end the blockade of Hormuz as a condition for the progress of dialogue on ending the conflict.