The United States has supplemented its military campaign against Iran with a naval blockade of Iranian ports. According to The Wall Street Journal and Pentagon officials, Washington’s goal is to deprive Tehran of oil export revenue and restrict imports of critical goods. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said US forces could quickly return to large-scale combat operations if necessary.
American officials say a force of at least 15 ships has been deployed in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the destroyers USS Spruance, USS Mitscher and USS McFaul, and USS Tripoli. The vessels are operating outside the Strait of Hormuz because, according to Iran, the channel may have been mined. Military analyst Sergey Migdal said the US is already moving minesweepers from Japan to deal with possible mining.
As described by sources cited by The Washington Post, the American tactic is to intercept ships after they leave Iranian ports. On April 16, CENTCOM said the US Navy had already stopped ten vessels. Transit through the strait to third-country ports is not formally banned, provided those ships have not paid transit fees to Tehran.
Iran, for its part, had earlier begun restricting passage through Hormuz itself, saying it was allowing ships from friendly countries, including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan. Analysts warn that Tehran still has tools to strike civilian shipping: coastal artillery, anti-ship ballistic missiles, drones, naval drones and remotely operated explosive boats.
According to the experts cited by the publication, any attack on shipping could immediately end the current truce between the US and Iran.
The ceasefire is due to expire on April 21, 2026. After a first round of talks in Pakistan on April 11, no agreements were reached, although The New York Times reported that Iran was open to a temporary suspension of uranium enrichment. At the same time, the crisis is already hitting the global economy: the International Energy Agency estimates oil supplies have fallen by about 13 million barrels per day, while the IMF warns of the risk of an energy crisis of unprecedented scale.