U.S. Military Reinstitutes Iranian Port Blockade Following Cease‑Fire Collapse

On the first complete day of the reinstated blockade, U.S. warships intercepted and redirected two vessels attempting to breach the restricted zone. An American aircraft also disabled an oil tanker in international waters en route to Kharg Island.

The U.S. Central Command affirmed its vigilance and readiness to enforce full compliance in a social‑media statement posted Wednesday.

Central Command reported that an American fighter Mississippi launched a Hellfire anti‑tank missile at the tanker Belma after issuing multiple warnings.

Effectively enforcing this blockade requires a substantial deployment of ships and aircraft to identify, track, warn, and, if GI, intercept vessels that cross the prescribed red lines.

The original blockade, imposed by President Trump in mid‑April, stretched from Ras al Hadd on Oman’s eastern tip to Iran’s Pakistani border, roughly 215 miles northeast.

A joint memorandum of understanding signed in June by the United States and Iran lifted the blockade, allowing merchant vessels to resume transit. Oil prices, which had surged since the war began on Feb. 28, began to decline in July.

Frustrated by limited progress toward ending the conflict, Trump declared the cease‑fire null and ordered new airstrikes following Iranian attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump reinstated the blockade on Monday, effective 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The decision soon translated into higher gasoline prices.

Since the conflict with Iran escalated, the Navy has deployed numerous warships to the region; during the earlier blockade, most destroyers remained roughly 400 miles from the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, Monday’s deployment includes two aircraft‑carrier strike groups in the Northern Arabian Sea: the USS Abraham Lincoln with two destroyers and the USS George H.W. Bush, accompanied by three destroyer escorts.

Both carriers carry four fighter squadrons each.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, hosting the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is also in the area, alongside two additional amphibious vessels capable of transporting Marines ashore.

Seven moreمه destroyers and one cruiser are also present in the Arabian Sea.

During the first blockade, which spanned from April 13 to June 18, Central Command said its forces redirected over 140 vessels that complied, while disabling nine that attempted to bypass the blockades.

U.S. forces have employed lethal force against vessels deemed non‑compliant, including firing Hellfire missiles from aircraft at merchant ships believed to be violating the blockade.

An American strike on tanker Settebello on June 9 killed three Indian crew members, prompting a diplomatic protest from New Delhi.

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