Vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz in this picture obtained from Iran’s ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026. Amirhossein Khorgooei/AFP via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance on June 18 said that the U.S. military has begun lifting its naval blockade of Iran, allowing more than a dozen ships to reach Iranian ports as part of a war-ending agreement signed between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking during a White House briefing, Vance said U.S. Central Command had allowed “north of a dozen ships” to pass and that more than 12.5 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz overnight, describing the developments as early evidence that both sides were implementing the agreement.
