US Navy Forces 21 Commercial Ships to Turn Back in Arabian Sea Blockade

The US Navy forced 21 commercial ships to turn back in the Arabian Sea on April 21 as part of its continuing enforcement of the maritime blockade against Iran, preventing vessels from transiting toward the Strait of Hormuz without US authorization. The blockade — which Iran calls illegal and which prompted the MV Touska seizure on April 20 — remained in full force as the ceasefire deadline approached. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responding to Trump's threats, declared Iran was 'prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield' and demand immediate release of the MV Touska, calling its seizure 'state piracy.' Iran's IRGC maintained its own closure of the strait from the Iranian side, creating a dual-blockade scenario with the Hormuz effectively sealed from both directions. The Hormuz standoff has led to ~610M+ barrels of total lost throughput since February 28 and stranded over 500 tankers in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.