Iranian Supertanker Reportedly Entered Iranian Waters via Strait of Hormuz Despite US Blockade

JAKARTA - A crude oil supertanker entered Iranian waters despite the threat of a blockade, without covering its identity, Iranian media reported Wednesday.

A giant Iranian tanker carrying crude oil entered Iranian waters after crossing the Strait of Hormuz despite threats of a US blockade.

According to Iran's Fars News Agency, the supertanker, which is said to be able to carry around 2 million barrels of crude oil, sailed through international waters and the Strait of Hormuz with its tracking system activated and "without any concealment," as quoted by Anadolu (15/4).

There was no immediate comment from U.S. authorities on the report.

Earlier, the commander of the US Central Command (US CENTCOM) on Tuesday said US forces had "completely stopped" maritime trade to and from Iran.

His statement came after CENTCOM began blocking all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on Monday.

The command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, said the blockade "is applied fairly to ships from all countries" entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The blockade came after rare direct talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending a war that began on February 28.

The negotiations, which followed a two-week ceasefire announced last week, were deadlocked and failed to produce an agreement.

The Strait of Hormuz and Tehran's nuclear program are reportedly on the agenda of Iran-US discussions in the talks in Islamabad.