U.S. Military Says Naval Blockade on Iran Has Been Lifted

U.S. Central Command said Thursday evening that it has formally ended the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas. According to the announcement, American forces will no longer stop vessels moving to or from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, though U.S. ships will remain in the area to ensure the deal is carried out.

The statement follows remarks Donald Trump posted about two months ago on Truth Social during negotiations with Tehran. In that post, he wrote that Iran was not willing to give up its nuclear ambitions, and that the United States would impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, blow up any Iranian ship that fired on U.S. forces, and was ready to “finish off whatever is left of Iran.”

After that, Central Command began enforcing a shutdown of all inbound and outbound sea traffic from Iranian ports. The restriction was applied equally to vessels of all countries entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal zones, including ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. A notice to mariners said any vessel entering or leaving the blocked area without authorization would be subject to seizure, diversion, and capture.

The U.S. military also said neutral ships could be searched, but stressed that the blockade would not affect the “innocent passage of neutral vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, to or from destinations that are not Iranian.”