The U.S. naval blockade of Iran officially got underway today at 10 a.m. ET. “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,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement on April 12. “CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”
President Donald Trump warned this morning that if any Iranian “fast attack boats” approach U.S. Navy vessels patrolling the strait “they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. has 15 warships in the region, including an aircraft carrier, multiple guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, and several other warships. These ships have the ability to launch helicopters that support boarding operations, and some are capable of marshalling commercial vessels to specific areas to hold them in place.
