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US military redirects over 100 ships since Iran naval blockade began, CENTCOM says
US Central Command has reported redirecting 109 commercial vessels since the naval blockade of Iran began on April 13. The figures have varied by date, with earlier reports citing 37, 50, 67, and 78 ships. Iranian officials have criticized the blockade, calling it piracy and terrorism.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has redirected 109 commercial vessels since the naval blockade of Iran was established on April 13. In a statement on May 27, the command said, "As of May 27, 109 commercial vessels have been redirected." Earlier reports from the command, as carried by TASS, provided varying figures depending on the date: 37 ships by April 26, 50 by May 5, 67 by May 13, and 78 by May 16, with four ships disabled to ensure compliance.
Coverage Comparison
The reports from TASS, which appear to have been published on different dates, show a progression in the number of redirected vessels. The April 26 report cited 37 ships, while the May 5 report mentioned 50. By May 13, the number had risen to 67, and by May 16 it was 78. The May 27 report stated 109 vessels. The figures reflect the evolving situation as the blockade continued.
In the May 13 report, CENTCOM said it had allowed 15 ships to pass for humanitarian purposes. The command stated, "Four weeks ago, CENTCOM began implementing the blockade against ships entering and exiting Iran’s ports. As of today, American forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels, allowed 15 supporting humanitarian aid to pass, and disabled 4 to ensure compliance."
Key Claims
Blockade start date: The naval blockade of Iran was established on April 13, according to CENTCOM statements as reported by TASS.
Redirected ships: The number of redirected commercial vessels has increased from 37 on April 26 to 109 on May 27, per CENTCOM statements reported by TASS.
Other actions: CENTCOM reported disabling four ships to ensure compliance and allowing 15 ships to pass for humanitarian purposes, as of May 13.
Strait of Hormuz traffic: CENTCOM head Admiral Brad Cooper said cargo ships from 87 countries were in the Persian Gulf awaiting passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and that the command had reached out to dozens of shipowners to assure safe passage.
US stance: President Donald Trump stated that Washington would maintain the blockade until a final agreement is reached, as reported by TASS.
Iranian reaction: Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, said the United States is acting like pirates and terrorists by establishing the naval blockade, seizing commercial vessels, and detaining crews. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reported the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but the Iranian Armed Forces later said they had closed the strait until the blockade was fully lifted, and urged vessel owners to comply with Iranian recommendations.
Perspectives
US Central Command: The US military is enforcing the naval blockade to ensure compliance with sanctions, redirecting hundreds of vessels and allowing humanitarian ships to pass.
Iranian officials: Iran's UN ambassador condemned the blockade as piracy and terrorism, while the foreign minister and armed forces sent contrasting signals about the status of the Strait of Hormuz, with the military calling US statements "untrustworthy."
How this outlet told it
TASS — English
Framing: US military redirects ships during Iran naval blockade — Neutral
Facts Included:
US military has redirected 109 ships since the establishment of the naval blockade of Iran
Naval blockade of Iran was established on April 13
US Central Command intends to block the movement of all vessels heading for ports in Iran and those attempting to leave its shores
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe US military has redirected a total of 109 ships since the establishment of the naval blockade of Iran.
ClaimIran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said the United States is acting like pirates and terrorists by establishing the naval blockade accompanied by the seizure of commercial vessels and the detention of crews.