US military resumes blockade of Iranian ports amid heightened conflict

The U.S. military has reinstated a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports and coastal regions, escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation, announced by President Donald Trump, involves more than 20 U.S. warships and hundreds of military aircraft deployed across the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom).

This renewed blockade aims to prevent vessels from entering or leaving Iranian ports. The duration of the blockade remains unspecified. The U.S. military has also recommenced attacks on targets within Iran, a move that follows a series of escalations between the two nations.

President Trump had initially suggested the U.S. might charge a fee for protecting ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. However, he later retracted this, stating that trade and investment agreements with Gulf states would be pursued instead.

The U.S. had previously enforced a similar blockade from mid-April during the Iran conflict, lifting it in June as part of a framework agreement aimed at ending the war and addressing Iran's nuclear program. Negotiations stalled, and the conflict intensified, with Iran attacking ships and the U.S. retaliating with strikes on Iranian targets and Iranian responses against U.S. military bases in allied Gulf states.