CENTCOM: U.S. forces reinstating Iranian blockade
Screengrab of file footage of U.S. Navy ships and aircraft operating in the Middle East. (U.S. Central Command Video)
OAN Staff Addie Davis
3:03 PM – Monday, July 13, 2026
At the direction of President Donald Trump, American forces are reinstating the blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday, according to United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
“CENTCOM forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas. The U.S. military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade,” the command said in a Monday statement, disclosing it would officially begin at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
CENTCOM’s announcement follows Trump’s Truth Social post declaring the reimplementation of the blockade, as well as asserting that the U.S. would be charging a 20% fee for the use of the Strait of Hormuz, labeling the charge as a reimbursement for providing safe passage.
Beginning in mid-April, U.S. forces conducted a naval blockade of Iranian ports, which lasted until June 18th, shortly after the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran.
During that time, CENTCOM said its “forces redirected more than 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine non-compliant ships, and allowed over 50 commercial vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass through the blockade during the two-month period.”
The command stated it would provide additional information through a formal notice to commercial mariners.
At President Trump's direction, U.S. Central Command will resume its maritime blockade of Iranian ports beginning July 14 at 4 p.m. ET.
CENTCOM says vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports will be subject to enforcement, while humanitarian and compliant commercial traffic… https://t.co/5amcljHgnN pic.twitter.com/KNighoHTl7
— One America News (@OANN) July 13, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital international waterway, with roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas moving through it before the start of the U.S.-Iran conflict. The recent heating up of hostilities in the region caused oil prices to spike, with the cost per barrel of crude oil reaching about a month high of $77, according to Trading Economics. One week ago, prices were as low as $68 per barrel.
Last week, Iran fired upon a total of four commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM. This prompted retaliatory strikes from the U.S. and reignited regional hostilities.
On Sunday night, CENTCOM said it launched strikes against dozens of Iranian targets, adding to its tally of hundreds for the week, and deploying “one-way attack sea drones” for the first time.
In a Monday social media post, the command published video footage of the use of the surface drones, which it purported struck a maintenance facility for submarines and ships at the Bandar Abbas Naval Base port in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” CENTCOM said.
“Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” it continued. “Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping.”
Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026
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