A third Iran-linked tanker entered the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, the first full day of a U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports, according to shipping data.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the blockade Sunday after talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad ended without a deal.
The three vessels transiting the strait were not headed to Iranian ports and are therefore not covered by the blockade.
The Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to the Hamriyah port in the United Arab Emirates, according to LSEG data. The vessel typically transports Iranian naphtha to other Middle Eastern ports for export to Asia, according to Kpler.
Earlier, two U.S.-sanctioned tankers passed through the waterway. The handy tanker Murlikishan, formerly known as MKA, is heading to Iraq to load fuel oil on April 16. It has previously transported Russian and Iranian oil.
Another sanctioned tanker, Rich Starry, is expected to be the first to pass through the strait and exit the Gulf since the blockade began. The vessel, owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co., was sanctioned by the United States for dealings with Iran.
The medium-range tanker is carrying about 250,000 barrels of methanol, loaded at the UAE’s Hamriyah port, according to data. The Chinese-owned ship has a Chinese crew on board.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports “dangerous and irresponsible,” warning it could escalate tensions.