Trump says Iran war could end soon, as US blockades Iranian ports

Tankers intercepted

The US military said more vessels were being turned back under the blockade, including the US-sanctioned, Chinese-owned tanker Rich Starry which was seen heading back through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

Eight Iran-linked oil tankers have been intercepted since the blockade began on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported. A US destroyer stopped two oil tankers attempting to leave the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, a US official said.

An Iranian supertanker subject to US sanctions crossed the strait towards Iran's Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade, Iran's Fars propaganda network said on Wednesday, possibly returning to port empty. It did not identify the tanker or give further details of its voyage.

Iran's joint military command warned it would act to disrupt trade flows in the gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea - which connects to the Suez Canal - if the US blockade continued. The semi-official Mehr news agency said Iran would use alternative ports away from its southern coastline to bypass the blockade, while another Iranian outlet cited shipping sources as saying maritime traffic was continuing normally.