According to United States Central Command (CENTCOM), not a single ship has breached the U.S. naval blockade in the Persian Gulf since it began Monday morning, severely damaging Tehran’s ability to export billions of dollars in oil and sustain its finances.
“During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade and six merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM announced Tuesday afternoon, more than a day after the operation began to obstruct critical shipping lanes Tehran uses for crude oil exports to nations like China.
Over 10,000 U.S. service members are enforcing the blockade alongside more than a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft. “The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas,” CENTCOM stated.
Experts warn that the blockade could deprive Iran of billions in revenue from illicit oil sales to U.S. adversaries, including China—which imports roughly 90 percent of Tehran’s crude. Once this cash flows dry up, Iran’s already strained economy will face heightened turbulence and increased domestic pressure on its hardline regime.
Robin Brooks, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, stated the blockade aims “to collapse Iran’s oil exports and, as a result, collapse its means to import all the stuff it buys from abroad.” This could trigger severe shortages, deep recession, devaluation, and hyperinflation.
Miad Maleki, a former Treasury Department official, noted that Iran stands to lose approximately $435 million per day in “combined economic damage” across imports and exports—a figure equating to about $13 billion monthly. “More than 90 percent of Iran’s $109.7 billion annual seaborne trade transits through the Strait of Hormuz,” Maleki added, emphasizing that Kharg Island—handling 92% of crude exports—sits deep within the Persian Gulf and is now effectively blocked by the operation.
Iran’s economic struggles have historically fueled nationwide protests threatening the regime’s stability. Last year, Iranian leaders killed more than 30,000 civilians attempting to quash unrest. Should Tehran’s economy deteriorate further under this blockade, it could ignite renewed anti-regime demonstrations.
President Donald Trump issued a warning in a recent social media statement that Iran’s navy was “laying at the bottom of the sea,” adding that any Iranian ships approaching U.S. vessels would be “immediately eliminated.” CENTCOM confirmed the U.S. military has facilitated “freedom of navigation” for commercial vessels transiting the Strait to non-Iranian ports, while Trump noted 34 ships successfully passed through the strait—the highest number since the blockade began.
The blockade was announced Sunday following failed ceasefire talks on nuclear issues and Iran’s attempts to extract tolls from ships in the Strait. Trump described Tehran as “unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions” with a diplomatic team that remained “very unyielding.”
Richard Goldberg, who served in national security roles during both Trump administrations, explained that over a month of conflict had destroyed most military targets in Iran, allowing U.S. forces to shift focus toward the blockade. “Admiral Cooper, head of Central Command, has likely told the president we’re near the end of the target set,” Goldberg said. “Now it’s time to turn to the Strait of Hormuz and remaining nuclear threats.” He added that the strategy involves denying Iran “import or export capabilities” unless permitted by the United States.