By Jack Phillips
A scheduled U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters started at 10 a.m. ET on April 13 amid a tenuous ceasefire between the United States and Iran, coming after talks in Pakistan fell through, according to a maritime trade group.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Monday it has been informed that effective from 2 p.m. UTC, or 10 a.m. ET, maritime access restrictions were being enforced, affecting Iranian ports and coastal areas, including locations along the Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Strait of Hormuz.
“Access restrictions apply without distinction to vessels of any flag engaging with Iranian ports, oil terminals, or coastal facilities,” UKMTO’s advisory said.
It added that “transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations is not reported to be impeded by these measures; however, vessels may encounter military presence, directed communications, or right-of-visit procedures during passage.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the military force overseeing operations in the Middle East, said it would implement the blockade at 10 a.m., a decision confirmed by President Donald Trump on Sunday evening.
According to the command, U.S. forces would start the blockade of ship traffic going to and from Iranian ports, with the blockade to 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.”
CENTCOM said it would not direct the U.S. military to “impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump said on several occasions the blockade would be imposed at 10 a.m. the following day, adding that “other nations” will be involved so that “Iran will not be able to sell oil, and that will be very effective.”
The Epoch Times contacted the Department of War for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
In response, Iranian officials have issued warnings about the blockade threat and have suggested the country’s military would attack ports belonging to Gulf Arab states as well as ports in the Sea of Oman.
Iran’s military has declared that the “security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for all or for none,” a spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement through state-run news agency Tasnim News.
“Furthermore, given the continuation of enemy threats against the Iranian nation and the national security of our country even after the end of the war, the Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly implement a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz,” the Iranian official also said.
Since the war started on Feb. 28, Iran has effectively shut the strait to all vessels except its own, saying passage would be permitted only under Iranian control and subject to a fee. Iran has attacked civilian ships in the region, including ships belonging to Gulf Arab states.
Last week, before a two-week ceasefire was announced, Trump warned that the United States would strike Iranian power plants and bridges in a bid to get the waterway reopened. With the uncertainty about the strait’s safety, oil and gas prices have surged worldwide, with Brent and WTI crude oil hitting around $100 per barrel again on Monday morning.
A U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance went to Pakistan over the weekend for hours of negotiations with top Iranian officials. But the talks failed to produce a lasting agreement, Vance said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
