US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that American forces would reimpose a naval blockade targeting Iran and vessels doing business with Tehran while allowing other ships to continue transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

The announcement came as the United States began a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran. Trump said another “very major attack” was planned and claimed months of US military operations had severely weakened Tehran’s navy, air force and missile and drone production capabilities.

Trump Announces Blockade Targeting Iran

Speaking to reporters after signing an Executive Order, Trump said the blockade would apply only to Iran and those conducting business with Tehran.

“We’re hitting them (Iran) very heavy tonight… We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We’re hitting them very hard, and it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens. We’re knocking out all of their offensive capability, and we’re controlling the strait (Strait of Hormuz),” Trump said.

“We’re putting the blockade back. It’s a blockade, not for anybody but Iran. In other words, anybody doing business with Iran can’t go through. Everyone else will be able to go through,” he added.

Trump said the combination of military strikes and the blockade would increase pressure on Tehran.

“The blockade is probably more effective even than hitting them. But I think the combination is the thing that really does it,” he said.

Trump Claims Iran’s Military Capabilities Severely Degraded

Trump claimed that four months of American military operations had significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities.

“We’ve been here for four months. I think we’ve done a lot. We’ve knocked out their navy in one month. We knocked out their air force, which is non-existent. We knocked out most of their missiles and drones,” Trump said.

The US president claimed American operations had destroyed about 92 per cent of Iran’s drone manufacturing capability and 89 per cent of its missile manufacturing capability.

“They have a little capability left, but they don’t have any capability against us. This is almost a military skirmish,” Trump said.

Trump Says Another Major Attack On Iran Planned

Trump said US military operations against Iran would continue and announced another major attack on the country.

“We’re doing another very major attack tonight (on Iran). They want to make a deal. They came back. We made a deal two days ago… They’ve been negotiating for 47 years, but nobody’s ever hit them militarily. We’re hitting them very hard,” he said.

Trump claimed a potential agreement with Tehran had collapsed after Iran sought further negotiations.

“We had a deal with them two days ago, and then they said, ‘Oh, we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.’ And this is what they’ve done for 47 years,” he said.

The US president also accused Iran of killing protesters and referred to the 2020 US strike that killed Qassem Soleimani during his first term.

Trump further claimed that Iran’s economy had deteriorated sharply during the conflict and accused Tehran of repeatedly violating previous agreements.

CENTCOM To Resume Blockade Of Iranian Ports

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces would resume blockading maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports from 4 pm ET on July 14.

The blockade will apply to vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, while ships not violating the order will continue to receive support for safe passage.

“At the Commander in Chief’s direction, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14 at 4 p.m. ET,” CENTCOM said.

According to CENTCOM, the decision follows an earlier blockade imposed between April 13 and June 18.

During that period, US forces redirected more than 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine ships that did not comply with the blockade and allowed over 50 commercial vessels carrying humanitarian assistance to pass.

CENTCOM advised mariners operating in the Gulf of Oman and approaches to the Strait of Hormuz to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces through bridge-to-bridge Channel 16.

Trump Announces 20 Per Cent Security Fee For Shipping

Trump had said on Sunday that the United States was reinstating the blockade and would charge a 20 per cent fee to provide security for vessels using the strategic shipping route.

The US president said international maritime traffic would remain open to the rest of the world despite escalating military tensions.

Trump defended the levy as necessary to cover the operational costs of securing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran Warns Against US Control Of Strait Of Hormuz

Iran rejected Washington’s intervention in the management of the strategic waterway and reaffirmed its claim of authority over the Strait of Hormuz.

Brigadier General Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Tehran would not “under any circumstances, allow the US to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Zolfaghari warned of retaliation against any US military action involving the passage of commercial vessels or oil tankers outside Iran’s designated shipping route and without authorisation from the country’s armed forces.

The latest escalation follows renewed hostilities after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps closed the Strait of Hormuz, prompting US retaliatory strikes on 140 locations across Iran and further military operations aimed at weakening Tehran’s ability to target commercial shipping.

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