'Enjoy the current gas prices while...': Iran warns as US blocks all ships at Iranian ports from April 13

Starting Monday at 10 a.m. ET (7:30 PM IST), the United States military will block every ship entering or leaving Iranian ports, a sweeping maritime blockade that draws in vessels from every nation and puts one of the world's most critical oil chokepoints on edge.

U.S. Central Command announced on X that its forces "will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET," in line with a presidential proclamation. The blockade, CENTCOM said, would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" using Iranian ports and coastal areas, including facilities along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

The military was careful to add that it "will not impede freedom of navigation" for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. Commercial mariners were advised to monitor official Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 while operating in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz approaches.

The announcement followed a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump on Sunday, in which he said the US would "shortly" begin blocking ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that vessels paying what he described as "illegal tolls" were the main focus. Hours later, the US military confirmed the blockade would begin enforcing from Monday.

The move appears to target the reported use of the Chinese yuan by some vessels transiting the strategic Gulf chokepoint, a development viewed as a direct challenge to the long-standing petrodollar system and a way to bypass US sanctions. In doing so, Washington has sharpened its stance towards both China and Iran, two countries that have increasingly pushed back against American economic pressure.

Iran hits back

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, did not hold back. In a post on X, he took aim at American consumers, writing: "Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade', soon you'll be nostalgic for $4-$5 gas." His remarks underscored fears that any sustained disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint, could trigger a spike in crude prices and worsen global inflation pressures.

Competing claims at Hormuz

Tensions had already been building before the blockade announcement. Iran claimed its Revolutionary Guards forced two US warships to retreat from the Strait of Hormuz after issuing repeated radio warnings and threatening to target them if they failed to turn back toward the Indian Ocean. Tehran went further, declaring that any military vessel approaching the strait would violate the ceasefire.

The US flatly rejected that account. Central Command said destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy completed their Hormuz transit without interference and entered the Arabian Gulf to continue mine-clearing operations, a stark illustration of how differently both sides are telling this story.