“The blockade will be imposed on ships of all countries entering or departing from Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all ports in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM will not affect the free navigation of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz sailing from and to non-Iranian ports,” the command said.
It added that further details will be released before the blockade is launched.
The main Iranian port is Bandar Abbas, oil is exported mainly from the terminal on the island of Charg and partially also from the port of Bandar Džask.
US President Donald Trump announced the start of the blockade on Sunday after US-Iranian negotiations in Pakistan failed. Iran refused to completely give up its nuclear program, which led to the end of the negotiations.
The tug of war between Iran and the US
On Monday night, US President Donald Trump said that he does not care if Iran returns to the talks. “I don’t care if he comes back or not. If he doesn’t, that’s fine.”
Analyst Justin Crump, who focuses on defense issues, described the blockade in a statement to the BBC as another escalation that “reflects Trump’s anger” that he did not reach an agreement. According to him, the blockade will prevent Iran from selling its oil to countries such as China.
He warned that both countries now feel in an advantageous position, Iran due to the fact that it can block the Strait of Hormuz, the US due to its military superiority. He fears that “both sides will try to prove that they really won by knocking the other down.”
The problem with the mines
The American headquarters CENTCOM said already on Saturday that its forces started working on the preparation to clear the Strait of Hormuz from mines. It said it was being carried out by two US guided-missile destroyers USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy, which “passed through the Strait of Hormuz and are operating in the Arabian Sea as part of a broader mission to ensure that the strait is completely cleared of mines”.
Iran loaded sea mines into the strait. Their number is unknown. He wants the ships to sail on a more northern route near the island of Kešm and in one direction even between the islands of Kešm and Larak. Since they would be sailing in his sovereign waters, he could control them and collect tolls for using the road.
Photo: US Navy, Reuters
Destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr.
Tehran initially denied that American ships would pass through the strait, but the data confirms it. On April 11, the USS Michael Murphy was moving in the Persian Gulf north of the east coast of Oman. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps did not attack the ships, although they initially threatened to destroy any American ship passing through the strait.
Their exact task was not known, because they are not minesweepers. They could have been sent to the Persian Gulf to provide cover for minesweepers, but now they can also be used for the naval blockade of Iran.
Blocking ports is an effective tactic for countries dependent on the sea and shipping. It was shown by several wars, for example the civil war in Spain and the blockade of Cuba.
