US reinstates naval blockade of Iranian ports as ceasefire collapses

Washington declared a full maritime blockade of Iran's coastline on Tuesday, as U.S. Central Command launched another round of strikes on Iranian targets.

The order covers every stretch of Iran's shoreline. It applies to all ships regardless of flag. CENTCOM said it took effect at 4 p.m. Eastern time on July 14 and gave neutral ships already in the area time to clear out before enforcement began.

The blockade had been lifted in mid-June, a day after both sides signed an interim deal that reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic. That deal has since collapsed. Iran resumed striking commercial ships; the United States responded with repeated rounds of airstrikes on Iranian military targets.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had already fallen to a five-week low before Tuesday's announcement. Many ships switched off their AIS transponders to avoid appearing as trackable targets in waters where attacks on commercial ships had continued for weeks.