The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it will begin enforcing a naval blockade on Iran starting April 13. According to the statement, all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports will be halted from 10 a.m. that day, following a presidential directive. The measure will apply to all vessels, regardless of nationality, operating near Iran’s coastal areas in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The announcement follows remarks by former President Donald Trump, who stated that the United States would impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives in Islamabad ended without results. CENTCOM’s statement, cited by Al Jazeera, confirmed that the blockade will be uniformly enforced on all ships approaching Iranian ports or coastal zones.

The move signals a sharp escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions, with potential implications for regional maritime trade and security, though no immediate response from Iran was included in the report.