US Central Command Marks 100 Days Of Naval Blockade On Iranian Ports
U.S. Central Command on Thursday marked 100 days since its forces resumed a naval blockade barring commercial maritime traffic from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
“Today marks 100 days since CENTCOM forces resumed America’s steel wall naval blockade against Iran,” the command said in a statement posted to X.
CENTCOM said the naval operation has halted billions of dollars in crude oil shipments, cutting off revenue the Iranian government uses to finance regional proxy groups and terrorist organizations.
“This effort has helped prevent Iran from exporting at least $25 billion worth of crude oil and constrained the IRGC’s ability to fund proxy militias, criminal networks, and terrorism,” CENTCOM said, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “There have been no exports or imports to Iran by sea except for the humanitarian aid U.S. forces have allowed.”
US Central Command
The maritime blockade, which targets commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, was first established in April. CENTCOM resumed enforcement on July 14, characterizing the operation as a “steel wall” to reflect the scope of its maritime interdiction efforts.
The enforcement centers on one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. The narrow Strait of Hormuz, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, typically handles roughly one-fifth of global petroleum consumption and seaborne crude trade.
Washington has increasingly relied on naval interdictions to tighten economic pressure on Tehran, targeting seaborne petroleum exports that serve as Iran’s primary source of foreign revenue. Commercial vessel inspections and patrols across the Persian Gulf corridor have severely limited Iranian tanker movements, though military analysts note that enforcement in such contested, heavily trafficked waters carries persistent risks of direct confrontation between U.S. naval forces and Iranian fast-attack craft.