TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- At least two ships from Iranian ports transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday despite a U.S. blockade, maritime data firm Kpler reported on Tuesday.
Kpler identified one of the ships as the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Christianna that crossed the strategic waterway after unloading 74,000 tons of corn at Iran's Bandar Imam Khomeini port, passing Iran's Larak Island at around 1600 GMT on Monday, two hours after the U.S. blockade took effect.
It said the second ship, a Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis carrying 31,000 tons of methanol, was near Larak Island at around 1100 GMT, and left the strait by about 1600 GMT. The vessel departed Iran's southern port of Bushehr on March 31, it added.
The U.S. blockade aims to prevent ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It took effect after peace talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Pakistan's capital Islamabad failed to reach a consensus late last week.
The talks on Saturday and early Sunday followed a two-week ceasefire between Iran, the United States, and Israel that began on Wednesday.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz by restricting passage by vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States. ■
