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The U.N. Navy is aggressively enforcing the blockade against Iran, according to a U.S. official who said two oil tankers attempting to leave Iran were intercepted and turned back by an American destroyer on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n The unnamed U.S. official <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> Reuters that two tankers departed from Iran\u2019s port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, only to be intercepted by a U.S. Navy destroyer that instructed them by radio to turn around. Both ships complied with the order.<\/span><\/p>\n Chabahar is a <\/span>port city<\/span><\/a> on the southeastern coast of Iran. It was originally constructed in 1983, to give Iran alternatives to shipping through the Persian Gulf during the long and bloody Iran-Iraq War.<\/span><\/p>\n In recent years, the Indian government made about $500 million in investments to expand the two major port complexes at Chabahar, giving them more deep-water berths for large cargo vessels.<\/span><\/p>\n These investments were made in concert with India\u2019s development of a railroad through Afghanistan intended to link Chabahar with inland destinations that India cannot reach without going through Pakistan or the disputed Kashmir region \u2014 much as China is using the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to move Chinese exports to the Gulf of Oman.<\/span><\/p>\n In the summer of 2025, India appeared to <\/span>liquidate<\/span><\/a> its interests in Chabahar, shortly before the United States imposed heavy sanctions on the port city. The U.S. granted India a six-month waiver from the sanctions on Chabahar \u2014 and that waiver is due to expire in less than two weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n Some analysts view the April 26 expiration date of the sanctions as a ticking clock on India\u2019s hopes of <\/span>preserving<\/span><\/a> its huge investments in Chabahar by reaching a long-term sanctions waiver agreement with the United States, or possibly by hoping for the U.S. to lift sanctions on Iran as part of a peace deal.<\/span><\/p>\n Last week, after the U.S. temporarily waived sanctions on Iranian oil for ships already loaded with product, India <\/span>granted<\/span><\/a> special permission for four U.S.-sanctioned vessels to dock at Indian ports to sell their cargo. India\u2019s usual requirements for seaworthiness were waived to allow for a hasty docking. Two of those ships appear to have originated from Chabahar.<\/span><\/p>\n It was not clear from the Reuters report if either of the ships intercepted by the U.S. Navy on Tuesday were connected to India. The Pentagon did not respond to a <\/span>request<\/span><\/a> for more details from Fox News on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) <\/span>confirmed<\/span><\/a> on Tuesday that \u201cU.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are among the assets executing a blockade mission impacting Iranian ports.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or leaving coastal areas or ports in Iran,\u201d CENTCOM said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA typical destroyer has a crew of more than 300 Sailors that are highly trained in conducting offensive and defensive maritime operations,\u201d the statement added, possibly as fair warning to \u201cshadow fleet\u201d tankers thinking about slipping past the blockade with their <\/span>usual tactics<\/span><\/a> of false identity and positional broadcasts.<\/span><\/p>\n Ship tracking data from the first full day of the blockade on Tuesday <\/span>suggested<\/span><\/a> that a few shadow fleet ships might have thought about challenging the blockade, but turned back when they got close to those U.S. Navy destroyers.<\/span><\/p>\n Noam Raydan of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told Reuters on Tuesday that it was too early to tell if any ships managed to slip past the blockade by \u201cgoing dark.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe just don\u2019t know yet how effective it is. We are still in day two,\u201d Raydan said.<\/span><\/p>\n