On Sunday, Americans woke up to the revelation that President Trump had devised a backup strategy, anticipating the likely collapse of Vice President JD Vance’s diplomatic efforts. Vance had been tasked with negotiating an end to the conflict with Iran on conditions favorable both politically and militarily to the United States. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump disclosed that the Strait of Hormuz had been sealed off.
Nick Arama, a colleague, elaborated on this development in his piece titled “Here We Go: Trump Announces Major US Action in Strait to Shut Down Iran” on RedState.
The directive includes several components, which have left many puzzled.
1. The U.S. Navy is set to enforce a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, halting all maritime traffic in and out. Currently, approximately 1,900 ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf, awaiting departure, while another 800 ships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman are queued to pass through the strait.
2. By closing the Strait of Hormuz, the blockade also affects ports in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE.
3. There is confusion regarding the identification of ships that have paid the necessary “toll,” as the use of currencies like crypto or renminbi was intended to keep transactions anonymous.
3. No one seems sure how to identify which ships paid a “toll” because the required currencies, crypto or renminbi, were chosen to allow anonymity.
4. The blockade also raises questions on how the U.S. might handle a ship from a friendly nation seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Sunday evening, U.S. Central Command published a public directive on how the blockade will be enforced.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) 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.
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.
Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches.
This provides much-needed clarity.
The Navy will enforce a blockade of Iranian ports in the “Arabian Gulf” and the Gulf of Oman starting at 10 a.m. Monday. Be aware that the U.S. Navy made the change of nomenclature, much as President Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico, in 2010; however, it still chaps Iranian asses when they see it.
United States, department of defense and intelligence community have not recognized the term Persian Gulf and referred to it as the Arabian Gulf since Desert Storm. Though this isn’t the first time Iranians have been upset over this back in 2010 the U.S. Navy Style Guide online… pic.twitter.com/CT98exGsnX
— Intelschizo (@Schizointel) April 12, 2026
The announcement indicates that friendly ships will be blocked from entering Iranian ports along with the rogue tankers trading in bootleg Iranian crude oil.
The message implies that some kind of escort or patrol system will be established to coordinate passage with the U.S. Navy rather than the IRGC.
There are some other parts that haven’t been defined yet. For instance, will Iranian tankers at sea be fair game for seizure?
FAQ: “Why?”
We believe that Iran has moved its floating oil storage to the Gulf of Oman so that it can better regulate exports amid turbulence. They are also positioning these barrels as far away as possible from Kharg in case something does impact tanker loadings at the island.
— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 11, 2026
Approximately 12 Iranian supertankers are filled and stationary in the Gulf of Oman awaiting dispatch. Will we leave them alone or round them up?
There is a growing consensus that Iran has not mined the Strait of Hormuz, and we’d like to keep it that way. My assumption is that we’ll actively, kinetically prevent any attempt to mine the Strait, but that is not spelled out. U.S. demining efforts continue. To the best of my knowledge, that is being done by UH-60S helicopters with mine countermeasures packages being flown from destroyers in the area. President Trump has said some Gulf nations will join the demining effort, but there is no reliable information to confirm this.
How, exactly, will we enforce the blockade if a Chinese tanker decides to bull its way through? I’m assuming this contingency, as well as how to handle Chinese warships if this situation persists long enough, and I wouldn’t expect USCENTCOM to announce them, but this is something we should be on the lookout for.
President Trump says, “Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade.” At this time, the only takers seem to be the UAE and Bahrain. The UK, Germany, and Australia have refused to help, and France seems likely to join that group.
An added bonus is that a third Carrier Strike Group has entered the Eastern Mediterranean.
🇺🇸USN TRACKING: CSG-12 Location Confirmed
Even with the deliberate delays on Eastern Med imagery, an Apr 10 pass finally dropped and definitively answers the whereabouts of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).🔸Caught CSG-12 during an UNREP day. CVN-78 is pulling up alongside (or… pic.twitter.com/IYUM36FbJe
— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) April 11, 2026
Anyway, go time is 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, and we’ll get answers to our questions then.
For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
