US to blockade all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports from April 13, CENTCOM says transit to non Iranian ports will continue, oil prices jump over 7 percent
“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. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” CENTCOM wrote in a statement on social media.
Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice before the blockade starts, CENTCOM added.
Oil prices rose in early market trading after the US said it would blockade Iranian ports beginning Monday.
The price of US crude oil rose 8% to $104.24 a barrel, and Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 7% to $102.29.
Brent crude has swung dramatically during the Iran war, rising from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times. On Friday, ahead of the peace talks, Brent for June delivery fell 0.8% to $95.20 per barrel.
