The United States will begin blockading all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports from April 13, sharply escalating risk for commercial shipping in the Gulf, according to U.S. Central Command.
The measure applies to vessels of all nations calling Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, while transit traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian destinations will not be impeded.
CENTCOM set the start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time and instructed ships operating in the Gulf of Oman and Hormuz approaches to monitor formal notices and maintain bridge-to-bridge contact on channel 16.
Tehran signalled immediate regional spillover risk, warning that security in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman would be “for everyone or for no one,” adding that if Iranian ports are threatened, no port in those waters would remain safe.
Two tankers linked to Iran exited the Strait of Hormuz shortly before the blockade window opened, underlining tightening conditions at the chokepoint.
Oil markets reacted sharply, with US crude rising 8% to $104.24 a barrel and Brent gaining 7% to $102.29, pushing benchmarks back above $100 as disruption risk intensified.
The move follows failed weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at preserving a ceasefire after weeks of conflict.
Washington concluded Tehran rejected its demands, while Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said the talks exposed “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.”
U.S. Central Command is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense responsible for military operations across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, including oversight of maritime security in strategic waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz.
