US Imposes Maritime Blockade on Iranian Ports

The United States Central Command announced Sunday that its naval forces will impose a maritime blockade on all traffic entering or exiting Iranian ports starting Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, escalating tensions after recent diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran collapsed without agreement. The action, directed under a presidential proclamation, targets ports in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, including key facilities such as Bandar Abbas and Chabahar, but explicitly spares international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian destinations.

CENTCOM stated the blockade will apply impartially to vessels of all nationalities, aiming to restrict Iran's maritime economic activities amid accusations that Tehran supports regional proxy groups and disrupts global shipping. Officials emphasized that the measure does not constitute a full closure of the strait, a vital chokepoint through which about 20 percent of the world's seaborne oil passes daily. "U.S. forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports," the command said in a statement posted on social media. Commercial mariners have been...