The American daily newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported: “This is what the U.S. blockade of Iran looks like,” after the deployment of “more than fifteen warships and potentially thousands of troops, including possibly Marines and special operations forces to enforce” the measure.
According to President Donald Trump, the aim is to prevent Iran from selectively allowing merchant ships to pass through, so it cannot continue to export oil and import goods through its ports on the Arabian Gulf. The journal states, “No ship has transited to or from an Iranian port this Tuesday [14th April]” which indicates that “the threat of U.S. naval power has been sufficient, so far, to deter Tehran” from challenging it.
The American naval forces “faced six merchant ships from an Iranian port and forced them to turn back,” as confirmed by The Washington Post, citing official statements from the U.S. Central Command (Centcom). The United States has successfully managed to “completely interrupt commercial exchanges entering or leaving Iran by sea within less than thirty-six hours since the start of the blockade,” as praised by Centcom chief.
