“Security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for NO ONE,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported Monday. “NO PORT in the region will be safe,” according to a statement from the Iranian military and the Revolutionary Guards.
U.S. Central Command announced the blockade would begin on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT, or 5:30 p.m. in Iran, and would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf (Persian Gulf) and Gulf of Oman.” CENTCOM said it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait, a step down from the president’s earlier threat to blockade the entire strait.
The announcement of the blockade halted the limited ship traffic that resumed in the strait since the ceasefire, said an early report from Lloyd’s List intelligence. Marine trackers say over 40 commercial ships have crossed since the start of the ceasefire, down from roughly 100 to 135 vessel passages per day before the war.
The move came after marathon U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement on Saturday. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the talks stalled after Iran refused to accept American terms to refrain from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has demanded compensation for damage caused by U.S.-Israeli strikes that launched the war on Feb. 28, and the release of Iran’s frozen assets.
The blockade is likely intended to add pressure on Iran, which has esported millions of barrels of oil since the war began, much of it likely carried by so-called “dark” transits that evade Western government sanctions and oversight.
Oil prices rose in early market trading after the blockade announcement. The price of U.S. crude rose 8% to $104.24 a barrel, and Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 7% to $102.29. Brent crude cost roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told BBC radio Monday that Britain will not be part of a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in response to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and that Britain is “not getting dragged into the war.”
He said U.K. efforts remain focused on reopening the key shipping route, and that Britain might help with mine clearing in the waterway, but only after the fighting stops.
