After Iran refused to allow ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy would be blockading the critical passage starting on Monday.
“The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 A.M. ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in another post on Truth Social.
“At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them,” Trump added.
“THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted,” he wrote.
“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas. We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” Trump continued.
“Iran knows, better than anyone, how to END this situation which has already devastated their Country. Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft and Radar are useless, Khamenei, and most of their ‘Leaders,’ are dead, all because of their Nuclear ambition.”
🚨 JUST NOW: Iran is likely STUNNED that President Trump really did it, he’s BLOCKADING the Strait of Hormuz and playing hardball
Time and time again, they realize 47 stands on business.
TREY YINGST: “These countries did not participate in helping to open the Strait of Hormuz… pic.twitter.com/9gFsahVPsF
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 12, 2026
“The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION. They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear. Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully “LOCKED AND LOADED,” and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” he wrote.
Trump said that America, meanwhile, is open for business.
“Massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers, some of the largest anywhere in the World, are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and ‘sweetest’ oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World,” Trump said in another post on Truth Social.
“We have more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined — and higher quality. We are waiting for you. Quick turnaround!” he posted.
U.S. Central Command said it is enforcing Trump’s blockade, but that not all ships using the Strait of Hormuz will be affected.
“U.S. Central Command forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation,” U.S. Central Command posted on X.
“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” the post said.
Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said the standoff could be a boon for American oil exporters, according to Reuters.
“The situation with the Strait of Hormuz, even with the peace talks, could take months in a best-case scenario to work out, so absolutely U.S. oil will be higher in demand as a result,” he said.
In a prior Truth Social post, Trump slammed Iran, saying it “promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so. This caused anxiety, dislocation, and pain to many people and Countries throughout the World.”
As noted by USNI News, during the ceasefire that began last week, the U.S. Navy moved two destroyers into the Strait of Hormuz, giving teeth to Trump’s blockade.
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