Days after US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command revealed on Tuesday (local time) how the blockade is being implemented.
A post on X read: “More than 10,000 US sailors, marines and airmen, along with more than a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft, are on a mission to block ships entering and leaving Iranian ports. In the first 24 hours, no ships got past the US blockade and 6 US merchant ships turned to the Gulf port of Oman.”
How does the US enforce the blockade?
US Central Command noted that no Iranian ships would be allowed to enter or leave Iranian ports, and that this was imposed impartially against vessels of all nations. The mission is carried out by more than 10,000 personnel and more than 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft, along with more than 12 warships.
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Types of assets used to secure the lock
US Central Command also shared a list of means used by the US military to enforce the blockade. These include:
- Aircraft carrier
2. Amphibious assault ship
3. Amphibious transport dock ship
5. Destroyers with guided missiles
7. Land and sea fighter aircraft
10. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft
Why is the US blocking Iranian ports?
The decision to block Iranian ports was announced by Donald Trump last week after talks between the US and Iran broke down over the weekend. The talks, held for over 21 hours in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, ended without an agreement, with both sides blaming each other for the failure. Trump’s decision to block Iran’s ports aims to put pressure on the Islamic Republic by targeting two economic drivers — first, the huge tolls Tehran has demanded for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the war began in late February; and secondly its oil revenues, the BBC reported.
In an interview with Fox News, the US president said: “We’re not going to let Iran make money selling oil to people they like and not to people they don’t like,” adding that the goal was instead to have “all or nothing” through the crucial shipping channel.
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Where is the blockage?
While the exact positions of the U.S. Navy ships when deployed have not been released, it is difficult to determine where the intercept might have occurred. But U.S. forces are unlikely to operate near Iran’s coast because of the threat posed by missiles and drones, the report added.
Any blockade effort would likely focus on the Gulf of Oman, a key passageway for global oil supplies, including those from Iran.
US forces are expected to rely on satellite data and commercial surveillance to identify vessels departing from Iranian ports and intercept them once they move into the open waters of the Indian Ocean.
How might the blockade affect Iran and other countries?
The decision by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, which is responsible for transporting roughly a fifth of the world’s oil, has already sent oil prices soaring. Despite this, Tehran continued to export oil and benefited from increased prices. In fact, March was one of the Islamic Republic’s strongest export months in the past 18 months.
Any blockade would greatly affect countries that depend on Iranian oil. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), roughly 82 percent of the oil and other fossil fuels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in 2022 were destined for Asian markets.
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China is believed to buy nearly 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports. On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry called the US blockade “dangerous” and “irresponsible”.
Citing some analysts, the BBC noted that the blockade could be aimed at getting Beijing to play a more active role in peace talks.
In addition, a permanent blockade could further strain the global economy, raising fuel and food costs and disrupting supplies of key materials such as aluminum, helium and fertilizer raw materials.
Key things
- The US blockade aims to put economic pressure on Iran by targeting its oil revenues.
- The blockade is enforced by a significant military presence, which has an impact on global oil supplies and prices.
- China’s dependence on Iranian oil complicates the geopolitical dynamics of the blockade.
