As Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. maritime blockade against Iran continue, reports said some ship traffic through the strait is resuming.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 14th (local time), more than 20 merchant ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours.
Earlier, the United States launched a so-called "reverse blockade" starting at 10 a.m. on the 13th Eastern time to counter Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while allowing passage for ships that do not depart from or head to Iranian ports.
U.S. Central Command said that day, "No ships broke through the U.S. blockade in the first 24 hours," and "six merchant ships reentered Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman while following U.S. military instructions," but traffic appears to have partially resumed since.
The transiting ships reportedly included cargo ships, container ships and tankers. Some vessels were said to have turned off their transponders to avoid Iranian attacks.
The WSJ assessed that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global crude shipments, is improving significantly. The U.S. Navy's deployment of warships as part of a freedom of navigation operation and the start of minesweeping appear to have had a positive effect.