WASHINGTON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military has forced 48 vessels to redirect during the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports as of Tuesday, the U.S. Central Command said Saturday.

The ships "have been redirected to ensure compliance with the blockade," the command said in a post on social media platform X.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will keep Iran under the U.S. naval blockade until Tehran agrees to a deal with Washington on its nuclear program.

The United States has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, preventing ships from transiting to and from Iranian ports, following the failure of Iran-U.S. negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11-12 to reach an agreement. ■