mostafa hail

Some of the Iran-linked oil / refined products tankers that attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz have either stopped or performed U-turns. The blockade, so far, appears effective. Remember, the vessels are not stopped in the middle of the strait, but on the approaches.

More than 10,000 U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen along with over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are executing the mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports. During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. U.S. forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

This will get tricky as a number of Iran-linked tankers make bogus port calls in Saudi Arabia and Iraq with the help of AIS spoofing. Good luck with that, CENTCOM.

#عاجل | المتحدث باسم الحرس الثوري الإيراني: إذا استؤنفت الحرب سنكشف عن قدرات لا يملك العدو أي تصور عنها

🇨🇳 China: The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is contrary to the principles of international law, and puts the global market at risk.

🇮🇷 NEW: Iran Demands War Reparations from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Jordan at UN Security Council Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, has formally demanded reparations from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Jordan, accusing them of aiding the U.S.–Israeli assault on Iran. In a letter to the United Nations Security Council, Iran claims these states allowed their territory to be used for attacks and, in some cases, directly participated in strikes on civilian targets. Tehran says it has submitted documented evidence based on military assessments. The letter also rejects UN Resolution 2817 as unjust and detached from reality. Iran argues the Feb. 28, 2026 attack constituted clear aggression, and that the involvement of these states amounts to violations of international law, triggering liability and compensation obligations. Photo: Fars News

Iran has demanded compensation from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, according to state media.

BREAKING: Two oil tankers executed 180-degree turns at the Strait of Hormuz within minutes of the US naval blockade taking effect, per MarineTraffic AIS data and CBS News. The Rich Starry, flagged in landlocked Malawi, turned back approximately 20 minutes after the blockade began. The vessel had departed Sharjah Anchorage in the UAE with a signalled destination of China. The Ostria, flagged in landlocked Botswana, turned around at the same time as the blockade went into effect.

Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure is proving resilient: Crude exports from Yanbu terminals are running at ~4.0 million barrels per day, 4 times the levels seen at the end of February. In the last days of March, shipments along the 746-mile pipeline that carries crude from eastern oil fields to the Red Sea coast were as much as 4.5 million barrels per day. This is despite a drone strike last week that damaged one of 11 pumping stations, reducing throughput by ~700,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia has since restored the pipeline to its full capacity of 7 million barrels per day, with ~2 million consumed domestically and up to 5 million available for export. The pipeline is now the most significant alternative route for crude exports, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia is ramping up oil exports.

"A ship tracking firm reports 121 empty oil tankers are making their way to the United States... President Trump has urged countries squeezed by Iran's disruption of the Strait of Hormuz to turn to American energy supplies instead."

🇲🇾 Malaysia just seized two tankers caught doing illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Malacca Strait, the same waters where Russian and Iranian crude quietly changes hands out of sight. The U.S. blockades Hormuz. Malaysia cleans up the backdoor. The shadow fleet is having a very bad week.

Periodic reminder that, no matter how much China and Iran may talk about "strategic partnership", Beijing ultimately has far, far more invested in the countries on the other side of the Gulf, and it's not going to blow that up for a couple million bpd of discounted oil