The United States Central Command announced this Sunday (April 12, 2026) that the blockade of ships in the Strait of Hormuz will begin from Monday (April 13, 2026), at 11 am (Brasília time). , the military states that the measure will be applied to all vessels entering or leaving Iran’s ports and coastal areas.
The measure takes place after the end of negotiations between the North American and Iranian delegations in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday (11 April). The 2 countries left the Pakistani capital without reaching an agreement. According to the note, US forces did not “will impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports”.
“Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor ‘Notice to Mariners’ broadcasts and to contact U.S. naval forces on channel 16 (bridge to bridge) when operating in the Gulf of Oman and the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz.”announced the North American military command. Read the full text at the end of the post.
This Sunday (April 12, 2026), US President Donald Trump (Republican Party) also stated in his profile on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked by the Iranians and demanded the reopening of the maritime route. According to Trump, Iran refuses to abandon its nuclear program. “The meeting went well, most points were agreed, but the only point that really mattered, the nuclear program, was not”wrote the Republican.
Trump said the Iranians are doing “global extortion” as they closed the passage and stated that the United States Navy would begin its own blockade of the route.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, linked to the USA, Iran would be taking advantage of the existence of an unknown number of naval mines that it installed in the region to force ships to cross the route using its territorial waters. This would allow the country “extort” these vessels in exchange for “protection fees”.
According to the North American institute, these fees served to protect ships from attacks by the Iranians themselves. This extortion practice is illegal under maritime law. No state bordering a strait is permitted to restrict traffic or charge fees, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Comments made by the US president on social media this Sunday (12 April) signaled an escalation in naval activity around the strait. Trump said the Navy would begin intercepting ships that paid tolls to Iranians for using the route and that the military would begin destroying underwater mines placed in the waters. “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown to hell!”these.
READ THE STATEMENT FROM US CENTRAL COMMAND
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET/ET), in accordance with the President’s proclamation.
“The blockade will be applied impartially against vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”
“Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor “Notice to Mariners” broadcasts and to contact U.S. naval forces on channel 16 (bridge-to-bridge) when operating in the Gulf of Oman and the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz.”
