U.S. Military to Reinstate Blockade of Iranian Ports
Following President Donald Trump’s directive, the U.S. military is set to reintroduce a blockade around Iranian ports starting Tuesday, as reported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“CENTCOM forces will enforce a blockade against vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas. U.S. forces will continue to support traffic flow through regional waters against all vessels not violating the blockade,” CENTCOM stated, confirming that the blockade will officially start at 4 PM ET on Tuesday.
This announcement comes in the wake of a post by Trump on Truth Social, where he mentioned the blockade’s reinstatement and proposed a 20% royalty on the Strait of Hormuz as a fee for ensuring safe navigation.
The blockade initially went into effect in mid-April and lasted until June 18, which was shortly after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the U.S. and Iran.
During that two-month period, CENTCOM reported that forces redirected over 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine non-compliant ones, and cleared more than 50 commercial vessels carrying humanitarian aid.
CENTCOM noted that further details would be shared through official communications to merchant mariners.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical international shipping route, with roughly one-fifth of the global oil and liquefied natural gas flowing through it before recent conflicts heightened tensions. Recently, oil prices have surged, climbing to around $77 per barrel, the highest in a month, up from about $68 a week prior.
Furthermore, CENTCOM indicated that Iran fired at four commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz last week, which led to U.S. retaliatory strikes and further escalated regional tensions.
On Sunday, CENTCOM announced that it had conducted strikes against numerous Iranian targets, totaling hundreds throughout the week, and also deployed a new “unidirectional strike maritime drone.” The information shared on social media included footage that allegedly shows a surface drone targeting a submarine and a ship maintenance facility at the Bandar Abbas Naval Base in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Yesterday, using multiple unidirectional attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully attacked an Iranian submarine and a ship maintenance facility,” the command reported. “Three Corsair unmanned surface ships attacked the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time the U.S. military has employed maritime drones in combat. This action aimed to diminish Iran’s capability to continue its assaults on commercial shipping.”
