US Military Boards and Releases Cargo Ship Suspected of Iran Trade as Strait of Hormuz Blockade Continues Into Day 60

US Central Command confirmed on April 28 that the US Navy boarded a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz suspected of carrying goods bound for Iran in violation of the US naval blockade, then released it after inspection. The boarding marks day 60 of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with peace talks deadlocked over two issues: control of the Strait and the future status of Iran’s nuclear program. The blockade — instituted April 13, 2026 — has redirected or returned 33+ Iran-linked vessels and contributed to gasoline price spikes across Europe and parts of Asia. The UN has called for the Strait to reopen; Trump has reviewed the latest peace plan but not yet endorsed it.

The 60-day blockade marks one of the longest US-led naval blockades since the Cuban quarantine of 1962. The conflict began with the February 28, 2026 assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The blockade architecture intersects with the documented financial-conflict patterns surrounding the war: Hegseth’s broker reportedly attempting defense-stock purchases before bombing began (per the March 2026 RAMM “Financial Loop” piece), Cantor Fitzgerald (Lutnick family) creating financial products allowing hedge funds to bet on tariff and policy outcomes, and Patel’s March 3, 2026 firing of the FBI’s Iran counterintelligence unit weeks before the war’s escalation phase. See also 2026-04-19–us-navy-seizes-iranian-vessel-touska-hormuz and 2026-03-03–kash-patel-fires-fbi-iran-counterintelligence-unit.