US to Blockade All Maritime Traffic Entering and Leaving Iranian Ports Starting Monday

Washington (ANTARA) - United States forces will blockade “all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports” on Monday (13/4) at 10:00 Eastern Time (21:00 WIB), stated US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday (12/4).

According to a statement posted on the social media platform X, the blockade will be enforced “impartially” against ships from all countries entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, in line with a statement from US President Donald Trump.

US CENTCOM forces “will not impede freedom of navigation for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports”.

The statement was issued a few hours after Trump announced on the social media platform Truth Social that the US Navy would begin blockading ships attempting to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump stated that the US and allied nations would deploy minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz to clear sea mines and secure shipping lanes.

Following Trump’s statement on the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the Naval Command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Sunday that any “misstep” in the strait would ensnare its enemies in a “deadly whirlpool”.