US allows more than dozen ships through to Iranian ports, lifting blockade under deal, Vance says in International Shipping News 19/06/2026 Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the U.S. Navy has allowed more than a dozen ships through to Iranian ports, lifting a blockade as part of an agreement to end the war. Vance made the announcement at a White House press briefing, where he said more oil is now flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Republican vice president said more than 12.5 million barrels went through the shipping channel Wednesday night. “So we’re also honoring our end of the early part of the agreement on the military side,” Vance said, citing it as an immediate benefit of the deal as he downplayed criticism that the agreement tilts in favor of Iran. And in an extraordinary rebuke, he warned U.S. critics in Israel against “attacking the only powerful ally” it has left. He lashed out at members of the Israeli government, warning them that “Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time.” Vance said he plans to travel to Switzerland for talks on the Iran deal but he doesn’t know when that will happen. He had been expected to lead talks on implementing the agreement with Iran aimed at diluting its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and restarting oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday, two oil tankers left Iran and crossed the U.S. military blockade without being stopped. A merchant shipping tracking website said the ships were carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. Meanwhile, Iranian state media said that shipping has “normalized” at Iran’s southern ports but added that the Strait of Hormuz remains supervised and under the control of the Iranian military and transiting through the vital waterway still requires coordination. Major shipowners have begun moving vessels through the Strait of Hormuz since the agreement was si