U.S. Central Command announced that it will begin a blockade of Iranian ports on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET, after high‑level ceasefire talks in Islamabad between Washington and Tehran ended without a deal. The move follows President Donald Trump’s public call to stop ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz and signals a sharp escalation in the conflict over control of the vital Gulf waterway. (apnews.com)
President Trump posted on social media that the U.S. Navy would “begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” and warned that Iranian forces who fire on U.S. personnel or peaceful vessels would be “BLOWN TO HELL.” He also said U.S. forces would hunt and interdict ships that paid Tehran a toll to traverse the strait and would clear mines he says Tehran placed there. (aljazeera.com)
CENTCOM’s formal statement, however, narrowed the scope: it said U.S. forces will implement a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports beginning April 13 and that the measure will be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations.” The command added it would still allow ships transiting between non‑Iranian ports to cross the Strait of Hormuz, a qualification that differs from the president’s broader public remarks. (apnews.com)
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that military vessels approaching the strait would be treated as violating the ceasefire and would face a forceful response. Since the start of hostilities, Iran has permitted a limited number of friendly ships to pass while the overall flow through the strait has slowed to a trickle, disrupting roughly one‑fifth of the world’s oil and LNG shipments. (aljazeera.com)
Markets reacted immediately. Oil prices jumped sharply above $100 a barrel as traders priced in renewed supply disruption risks and tighter tanker traffic through the Gulf. Analysts warned that further restrictions on shipping or wider escalation would push markets still higher and deepen global economic strain. (axios.com)
The blockade announcement has prompted alarm among diplomats and some U.S. lawmakers. Mediators and regional officials urged resuming diplomacy to avoid a return to wider fighting, while critics questioned whether a blockade would succeed in forcing Tehran to reopen the waterway without provoking direct clashes at sea. The coming days will test whether the operational limits described by CENTCOM hold or whether confrontations escalate around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s ports. (aljazeera.com)
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-israel-us-war-west-asia-conflict-live-updates-on-april-12-2026/article70853206.ece
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Publish Date: 2026-04-13 05:30:00
