Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces will impose a blockade on Iranian ports and coastal areas at the direction of President Donald Trump, beginning Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET (20:00 GMT).
Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday that Washington was reinstating the Iranian blockade, adding that the measure targets only Iranian ships and Iranian customers entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, and that all other countries would retain open use of the waterway. The United States would also be reimbursed 20 percent on all cargo shipped, to cover the cost of providing security in the area.
A previous US blockade of Iranian ports operated from April 13 until June 18, when CENTCOM announced its removal following a memorandum of understanding signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. That agreement provided for a 60-day cessation of hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a 34-kilometer-wide passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade moves.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had always been the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz and would remain so. Addressing the proposed levy, Araghchi said that anyone providing safe and guaranteed passage for commercial vessels through the strait should receive compensation, adding that Trump was entirely correct on that point. “A rate of 20 percent was very high, and Iran would be more equitable.”
Following the announcements, Brent crude rose by about 8 percent, reaching 81.55 dollars per barrel.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei declared Monday that the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States in Islamabad has "practically ended," warning that all American bases in the region fall within Iran's target bank.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026