US orders Hormuz blockade
President Trump ordered a US naval blockade covering maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, a move that market reports say helped push oil above $100 a barrel. (insidenova.com) (indianexpress.com). The administration also warned China it could face 50% tariffs if found supplying weapons to Iran, broadening the episode from a regional security action into a potential trade confrontation. (newsx.com)
The United States military said it would begin blockading ships entering and leaving Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, after President Donald Trump announced the move following failed talks with Iran. (apnews.com) CNN and The Guardian reported the blockade was set to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern time on April 13, with the order covering maritime traffic tied to Iranian ports rather than all shipping through the waterway. (cnn.com) (theguardian.com) Oil traders reacted immediately. Reuters reported Brent crude rose more than 7% above $100 a barrel in early Monday trading as the United States Navy prepared to enforce the blockade. (reuters.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman that carries about 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and petroleum products, according to the International Energy Agency. The agency said the channel averaged that volume in 2025. (iea.org) The United States Energy Information Administration said flows through Hormuz in 2024 and early 2025 accounted for more than one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade and about one-fifth of global oil and petroleum product consumption. It also said around one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade moved through the strait in 2024. (eia.gov) Trump widened the pressure campaign last week by threatening 50% tariffs on any country that supplies weapons to Iran. CNBC reported he said the levy would apply to “any and all” goods sold into the United States by those countries. (cnbc.com) Bloomberg reported China called for “calm and restraint” on April 13 and rejected reports that it was preparing military shipments to Tehran. China’s Foreign Ministry said it regulates exports in line with international obligations. (bloomberg.com) The blockade followed a breakdown in weekend talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Islamabad, according to Reuters and USA Today. Trump announced the naval move a day later as the war entered its seventh week. (reuters.com) (usatoday.com) Iran has warned that foreign military vessels approaching the strait could be treated as a ceasefire breach, Reuters reported. That leaves energy markets watching whether the order remains limited to Iranian port traffic or expands into a broader confrontation at the world’s busiest oil chokepoint. (reuters.com)
