Iran, Centcom: ‘Blockade of ships entering and leaving Iranian ports’

Rome, 12 April (LaPresse) – US Central Command has announced that it “will begin enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports on 13 April at 10:00 ET, in accordance with President Donald Trump’s proclamation”. “The blockade,” explains Centcom in a statement, “will be applied impartially to vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.” Centcom forces, it is further explained, “will not impede the freedom of navigation of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.” “Further information will be provided to commercial mariners via a formal notice prior to the commencement of the blockade. All seafarers are advised to monitor Notices to Mariners broadcasts and to contact US naval forces on channel 16 (bridge-to-bridge communication) when operating in the Gulf of Oman and in the waters approaching the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement concludes.