Yesterday, President Trump announced that a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would begin "shortly" after negotiations with the Islamic nation failed to reach an agreement. In a post on Truth Social, the President wrote, "Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz."
He added that any attempt by Iran to impose tolls on the Strait would not be tolerated. "THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION," the President continued, "and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted. I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”
Later, it was confirmed that the blockade would begin today at 10 am Eastern. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed its forces will activate a blockage of all maritime traffic entering and leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
“The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 A.M. ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/gUBqyUGs1G
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 13, 2026
President Trump confirmed the blockade last night.
Reporter: Why did you attack Pope Leo?
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 13, 2026
Trump: I don’t think he’s doing a very good job. He likes crime I guess. We don’t like a pope who says it’s ok to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is ok. I am not a fan of Pope Leo. pic.twitter.com/cj3oh1jSIL
And again this morning in a Truth Social post
“The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 A.M. ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/gUBqyUGs1G
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 13, 2026
"The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10 am ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" the post read.
It is now 10 am Eastern, and that blockade is underway.
It is going to hit Iran's wallet, and hard, with some estimates saying it will cost the nation $276 million in lost exports and interrupt $159 million in imports. All combined, that's about $13 billion a month.
1/10 The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would cost Iran approximately $276M/day in lost exports and disrupt $159M/day in imports, a combined economic damage of ~$435M/day, or $13B/month.
— Miad Maleki (@miadmaleki) April 12, 2026
Over 90% of Iran's $109.7B in annual trade transits the Persian Gulf. Oil/gas… https://t.co/fOwhRltQhv
The post continues:
Over 90% of Iran's $109.7B in annual trade transits the Persian Gulf. Oil/gas accounts for 80% of government export earnings and 23.7% of GDP. Kharg Island alone generates ~$53B/year, or as I noted to @TIME, "$78 billion a year in energy revenue."
That's economically disastrous.
Iran is threatening to close Bab el-Mandeb, the gateway to the Red Sea, in response to the U.S. blockade.
Iran has threatened to close Bab el-Mandeb, the gateway to the Red Sea, in response to the U.S. blockade of its ports. This could be carried out through its proxy forces in Yemen, the Houthis. pic.twitter.com/MLq0IySER9
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) April 13, 2026
"We're talking about Bab el-Mandeb," Yingst said, "which is a different area where the Iranians could use their proxies in Yemen, the Houthis, to try to block off international shipping. And they have threatened to do this if there is a blockade on their ports near the Strait of Hormuz. We saw in the past the Houthis getting directly involved in this conflict ... it's a major concern that the Iranians may try to use one of their largest proxies, the Houthis, to launch missiles or drones at vessels in the Red Sea."
The Trump administration is hoping the financial pressure of the blockade will further weaken Iran's economic and military capabilities and provide substantial leverage in negotiations.