Chinese tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz, testing Trump’s blockade

(The Hill) A U.S.-sanctioned Chinese tanker tested President Trump’s new blockade on travel through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, passing through the trading corridor to the Gulf of Oman.

Under Trump’s blockade, which began on Monday morning, the U.S. military says it is blocking Iranian ports and stopping vessels that paid tolls to Iran.

Rich Starry, a medium-range tanker, traveled through the strait on Monday afternoon, making it through the waterway on a second attempt, according to shipping data from Kpler. The ship is carrying around 250,000 barrels of methanol, Reuters reported.

The ship flies under the Malawi flag, but the African country has stated that it has no official registration for ships. The vessel has a Chinese crew on board, according to Reuters.

In 2023, the U.S sanctioned the tanker and its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Company Limited, for its dealings with Iran. It is unclear whether the vessel stopped at Iranian ports during its recent journey through the waterway.

Another U.S.-sanctioned Chinese tanker, Murlikishan, passed through the strait from the opposite direction and is currently located in the Persian Gulf. The second tanker flies under Madagascar’s flag and is heading to Iraq to load fuel on April 16, according to Kpler.

Trump’s blockade follows lengthy talks between U.S. and Iranian negotiators this past weekend, which ended without an agreement to end the conflict between the two countries. The president said that Tehran refused to meet the U.S.’s demands on a nuclear enrichment and other issues.

There are reportedly diplomatic efforts underway to hold a second round of talks as soon as this week.

The war has driven up global energy costs, after Iran retaliated with counterstrikes on Gulf states and closing the Strait of Hormuz. During a temporary ceasefire period, Tehran has sought to impose pricey tolls on oil-carrying vessels traveling through the major oil trading corridor — a move opposed by the Trump administration.

In his announcement of the new U.S. naval blockade in the region, Trump directed the Navy to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.”

“The Blockade will begin shortly,” he wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday, adding that “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.”

“Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION,” the president continued. “They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear. Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully ‘LOCKED AND LOADED,’ and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!”