Analysis conducted by Al Jazeera has found that 14 oil, gas, and chemical tankers, 13 cargo and container ships, and four bulk cargo ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the US blockade went into effect on Monday.
Fourteen of these ships were on the US sanctions lists. Seven departed Iranian ports and then crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
Seven ships were operated by companies based in China, six by companies in Iran and four by those in the UAE.
The data contradicts claims made by the US Central Command on Wednesday, which said that no vessels had made it past US forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade.
Separate analysis by the maritime intelligence company TankerTrackers found that Iran shipped out nine million barrels of crude oil since the US blockade went into effect.
