An F-35B Lighting II assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 takes off from the flight deck of the American-class amphibious assault ship Tripoli (LHA 7) on May 13, 2026.
Provided by: U.S. Navy
U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday that U.S. forces began strikes against Iranian targets just before the U.S. resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Centcom told XPost that the latest attack, aimed at “degrading Iran’s ability to be used to attack commercial shipping” in the economically important strait, began at 3pm ET. The United States announced that it would resume its naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Centcom Commander Brad Cooper said in a statement posted on social media later in the day that Iran has “deliberately” targeted civilians and attacked seven commercial vessels in the past seven days, resulting in approximately 12 crew members being killed, missing or injured.
Iran’s port blockade was lifted after the United States and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire agreement as part of a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed last month. But President Donald Trump last week declared the ceasefire “over” after multiple escalations in hostilities in the region, with each side accusing the other of violating the terms of the agreement.
President Trump announced on Monday that the United States would reimpose a blockade on Iran as the Iranian government’s efforts to seize control of the strait by force appear to be accelerating again as a cease-fire stalls.
In a bid to increase pressure on the Iranian regime, the U.S. Treasury announced on Tuesday that it had imposed new sanctions to dismantle Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani’s “illicit shipping empire,” describing the network as “a key factor supporting Iran’s oil exports.”
Commercial shipping traffic through the waterway, which had been well below pre-war levels even though the ceasefire was in effect, has fallen sharply in recent days, according to ship-tracking companies.
Before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, 20% of the world’s oil passed through the strait.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open and will remain open with or without Iran,” Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social announcing the reopening.
In the same post, President Trump said the U.S. would begin demanding reimbursement for “20% of all cargo” shipped through the strait.
The policy proposal was met with deep skepticism from energy experts and immediate opposition from shipping industry groups, including the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization. Critics quickly revived recent footage of Trump administration officials declaring it illegal for countries to impose tolls on international waterways.
A day after announcing the 20% fee plan, President Trump reversed course. He claimed on Truth Social on Tuesday morning that he would “replace” the proposed tolls with “trade and investment agreements that the Gulf states would enter into with the United States.”
Speaking at the White House late Tuesday, President Trump said he had fielded calls from world leaders saying, “We would love to do it differently.”
“Actually, I like that, because I don’t think anyone should be able to charge fees for the use of the Strait,” Trump said. “I don’t think anyone should really be in that position, but we were doing it as redemption.”
He said he had held discussions with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and others. None of these countries have yet announced plans to increase investment in the United States this week.
