US Navy: Blockade of Iranian Ports to Begin Tomorrow at 20:00 GMT

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center announced that the U.S. military will begin enforcing a naval blockade of Iran starting Tuesday. The blockade will cover the entire Iranian coastline, including ports and oil terminals. The start time of the blockade has been announced as 20:00 GMT (23:30 Tehran time) on Tuesday, July 23.

• The U.S. Navy has announced that the naval blockade of Iran will begin Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. GMT.
• Some sources cited the start of the blockade as 20:00 GMT (11:30 p.m. Tehran time), while others said 20:00 GMT (midnight in Iran).
• U.S. Central Command announced the start time of the blockade as 23:30 on July 14 (July 23).
• The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) announced the start of the blockade pursuant to an order from Donald Trump.
• The blockade will not prevent neutral ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian destinations and vice versa.
• Humanitarian cargoes will be allowed to pass after inspection.
• The blockade covers all ships regardless of flag, as well as all Iranian ports and oil terminals.
• Any vessel assisting in evading the blockade or engaging in ship-to-ship transfers with Iranian vessels will be considered suspicious and inspected.
• The naval blockade will apply to all vessels, regardless of flag.. Coverage difference: Some media outlets such as Jamaran, Shargh newspaper, and Etemad newspaper published the report under the headline “the U.S. Navy’s claim,” indicating a cautious approach or a lack of full acceptance of the report. In contrast, outlets such as Entekhab, Didban Iran, Khabar Fori, Iran International, Khabar Online, Tejarat News, Young Journalists Club, Hamshahri newspaper, Akhbar-e Fori, and Independent Persian reported the news as a direct announcement from the U.S. Navy or the Joint Maritime Information Center. Some sources also referred to additional details, such as the blockade covering “all ships regardless of flag” and the issuance of “strict warnings.”