Iranian oil tankers sail through as US naval blockade officially lifted: reports
- By Sheeraz Soomro -
- Jun 16, 2026
At least three Iranian oil tankers and two cargo ships carrying essential goods sailed through the Strait of Hormuz after lifting of US naval blockade, Press TV reported citing highly informed sources.
The vessels sailed through on Monday evening, marking the first operational victory of the newly finalized memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.
The vessels, which had been stranded for months amid the illegal American blockade aval campaign against Iranian shipping, sailed through international waters unimpeded, according to informed maritime sources speaking exclusively to Press TV.
It came less than 24 hours after the finalized memorandum of understanding (MoU) mediated by Pakistan and Qatar mandated an immediate end to the illegal US naval blockade against Iran as part of a wider cessation of hostilities on all fronts.
Read more: Iran war deal text to be released this week: JD Vance
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that he hopes text of an agreement to halt the war in Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz will be released this week, as further negotiations over the deal’s details were set to continue.
In an interview on CNBC, Vance also said the United States expects the economically vital waterway would be open without tolls on a long-term basis.
“Our expectation is that the Strait is going to be opened in a toll-free way for the long-term,” he said.
“That’s the sort of thing that we’re going to figure out in these technical negotiations. You know that there are a lot of very important details to figure out that we’re actually going to sit at the table and discuss together and figure out a path forward.”