US Central Command says more than 10,000 armed forces members, as well as warships and aircraft, are involved in the blockade.
Published on 15 April 2026
The US military said the blockade of Iranian ports has been “fully enforced” and that economic trade entering and leaving Iran by sea has been “completely halted”.
In a post on social media, US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East and is leading the war on Iran, said the blockade was being enforced against ships from all countries “entering or leaving coastal areas or ports in Iran”.
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“It is estimated that 90% of Iran’s economy is driven by international trade by sea. Less than 36 hours after imposing the blockade, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade in and out of Iran by sea,” CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement late Tuesday.
CENTCOM said more than 10,000 sailors, Marines and US Air Force personnel are taking part in the operation and in the first 24 hours, six merchant ships had followed US orders to turn around and “re-enter an Iranian port”.
A US Navy destroyer intercepted two oil tankers attempting to leave Iran on Tuesday, a day after the blockade was imposed and directed them to turn back, Reuters news agency said.
The ships had departed from Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman and had contacted the US warship through radio communications, an official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
US President Donald Trump is hoping the blockade will force officials in Tehran to accept Washington’s terms for ending the US-Israeli war on Iran. He announced a blockade of Pakistan after weekend talks between the US and Iran broke down, leading to a ceasefire, which halted the attacks.
Centcom said no ships have crossed the US blockade since it took effect at 10 a.m. (14:00 GMT) on Monday in Washington, DC.
Abbas Aslani, a senior research fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies in Tehran, said on Wednesday that Iranians believe the US is now signaling renewed peace talks to soften the blow of the blockade on the global oil market.
Oil prices rose above $100 a barrel before easing on hopes of further talks between the two sides.
Tehran considers the blockade a violation of the ceasefire and could “complicate the situation”, Aslani said.
“The ceasefire, which is currently in place, is very fragile,” he said.
“We are waiting to see what the reaction will be from Iran.”
