The US Navy has announced that the naval blockade on Iran has begun, according to a defense correspondent's the source. The Zioneer previously reported that the US had announced the blockade would begin at 23:00 Jerusalem; the latest statement indicates the blockade is already in effect.
Just after 20:59 Jerusalem, The Zioneer received a new report citing a defense correspondent's source stating that the US Navy has announced the naval blockade on Iran is now in effect. This supersedes the earlier official US announcement, reported by The Zioneer at 20:56, that the blockade would commence Monday at 23:00 Jerusalem. The new statement does not specify a start time, suggesting the blockade may have been implemented earlier than previously stated.
The thread began with a US Central Command spokesperson telling the New York Times on Monday at 18:33 Jerusalem that the blockade would be imposed later that day. Over the course of minutes, The Zioneer reported incremental updates: CENTCOM confirmed final coordination (18:33), then said the blockade would be imposed in the early night hours (18:33), then Axios reported CENTCOM would announce the exact date later today (18:33), and a US official told i24NEWS that final preparations were underway (18:33). At 18:33, the US officially announced the blockade would begin at 23:00 tomorrow. The source quality evolved from a single NYT report to multiple newsrooms and an official statement, but the latest report again relies on a single channel — a defense correspondent's source — and has not been independently corroborated.
The development comes amid a significant US naval buildup in the Gulf, which Fox News described as a 'naval siege on Iran,' as The Zioneer reported on Wed Jun 10. The broader context includes President Trump's declaration of a US takeover of the Strait of Hormuz, reported on Mon 15:14 Jerusalem, and ongoing strikes and counter-strikes between US and Iranian forces in the theater.
The report that the blockade is now in effect has not been confirmed by official US channels or independently corroborated. The precise start time of the blockade remains unclear, and it is not yet known whether the earlier announced 23:00 deadline has been moved up or if the blockade was initiated without public notice.
11 developments
- ConfirmedUS military maintains blockade on Iranian ports until Friday deal signing; Strait of Hormuz remains closed
- StrongUS military announces new wave of strikes against Iranian forces in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingUS reportedly tells Israel it will strike Iran within hours, warns of retaliation
- ConfirmedCENTCOM confirms third consecutive night of strikes on Iran; explosion reported in Mashhad
Source and signal
- Internal intake