At least three ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the Hormuz Strait despite a US military blockade, but some vessels taking the route later turned back, maritime tracking data indicated.They were among at least seven Iran-linked vessels that passed through the strait after Washington's blockade came into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday, according to maritime data provider Kpler.

The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Christianna crossed the strait after unloading 74,000 tonnes of corn at the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini in the Gulf, passing Iran's Larak Island in the strait around 1600 GMT on Monday, Kpler data showed. A second ship, the Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis, was near Larak Island around 1100 GMT and cleared the strait about 1600 GMT.It was loaded with 31,000 tonnes of methanol, having left the Iranian port of Bushehr in the Gulf on March 31, Kpler data showed.

The tracker indicated that the other vessels that crossed included the Argo Maris, which had also sailed from Iran.Maritime analysts have cautioned during the recent weeks of conflict around the strait that ships' signals in the region have been disrupted and manipulated, making precise, comprehensive tracking difficult. Iranian forces effectively closed the strait after the war broke out with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

The US on Sunday announced its own blockade after peace talks with Iran failed. The US military said Tuesday its blockade had held and that it had stopped six vessels from sailing out of Iranian ports outside the Gulf during the first 24 hours."No ships made it past the US blockade and six merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman," outside the strait, regional command CENTCOM said in a post on X.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)