U.S. blockade of Iran ports

The United States has begun stopping ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports, opening a new front in the fight over the Strait of Hormuz. (centcom.mil) United States Central Command said the blockade took effect at 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday and applies to vessels of all nations using Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. President Donald Trump said the move followed failed weekend talks in Islamabad over Iran’s nuclear program and shipping access. (centcom.mil, cbsnews.com) The order does not formally close the waterway to ships headed for non-Iranian ports. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said transit through the strait was still being reported, though mariners could face military hails, boarding checks and other “right-of-visit” procedures. (mscio.eu, centcom.mil) That distinction matters because the Strait of Hormuz is the outlet for Gulf oil and gas shipments, not just Iran’s exports. Reuters reported the blockade could keep roughly 2 million barrels a day of Iranian oil off the market if it is fully enforced. (al-monitor.com, cnbc.com) Oil reacted immediately. CBS reported United States crude rose above $104 a barrel and Brent crude topped $102 after the blockade was announced, before later trading eased back toward $100 as investors weighed the chance of renewed diplomacy. (cbsnews.com, cnbc.com, usnews.com) Enforcement already looks uneven. Al Jazeera and NBC reported that sanctioned tankers kept moving through the strait on Tuesday, including the Chinese-owned Rich Starry, which was identified as the first sanctioned vessel to exit after the blockade began. (aljazeera.com, nbcnews.com) Iran called the blockade illegal and warned that ports elsewhere in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman would not be safe if its own shipping was obstructed. China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, called the move “irresponsible and dangerous.” (cbsnews.com, news.yahoo.com) The blockade followed talks in Pakistan that ended without a deal, but diplomacy has not stopped. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Pakistan had proposed another round of United States-Iran talks, while Vice President JD Vance said the first negotiations made some progress. (apnews.com, apnews.com) For now, the United States is trying to squeeze Iran’s ports without fully shutting the strait to everyone else. Whether that line holds will decide if this remains a shipping crackdown or becomes a wider fight over the world’s busiest oil chokepoint. (centcom.mil, mscio.eu, nytimes.com)