US-Iran port blockade

U.S. to begin blockading all ships entering or exiting Iranian ports Monday: CENTCOM

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military will begin blockading all ships entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. Monday (Washington time) in line with President Donald Trump's proclamation, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday.

Hours earlier, Trump said that the U.S. Navy will conduct a blockade of all ships trying to enter or leave the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement during peace talks in Pakistan over the weekend.

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," the command said in a statement.

"CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports," it added.

Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade, it said.

"All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches," it said.

The planned blockade comes as Iran has used the Strait of Hormuz as a pivotal lever to pressure the U.S. at a time when its restrictions on traffic through the strait led to a surge in oil prices and fanned fears of higher inflation ahead of the U.S. midterm elections slated for November.

Trump has instructed the U.S. Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in "international waters" that has paid a toll to Iran, he said.

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