US warships step up blockade as Iran tightens grip on Strait of Hormuz

Washington: The US Central Command has said that the dock landing ship USS Rushmore is conducting blockade operations in the Arabian Sea.

Earlier Saturday (local time), it was said on social media that a guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney is patrolling regional waters in support of the blockade operations. Meanwhile, the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock ship, is monitoring shipping, reports Xinhua news agency.

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The move came as the Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked since Saturday evening and will not reopen until the United States lifts its naval blockade on the waterway.

Sailors and Marines aboard dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) conduct blockade operations in the Arabian Sea. pic.twitter.com/xF6n9ZFkvt

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 19, 2026

On Friday, both Washington and Tehran confirmed that the strait had been completely open for all commercial vessels. However, US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the US naval blockade would "remain in full force." In response, Iran warned of closing the strategic waterway again if the US blockade continues.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said that the country is determined to exercise control and supervision over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz until the war is definitively ended and a lasting peace is achieved in the region.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) patrols regional waters in support of blockade operations. The blockade has completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea. pic.twitter.com/x5hr6jMnke

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 18, 2026

The statement, reported by Iranian media, came after Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced earlier on Saturday the resumption of strict control over the Strait of Hormuz, citing the continuation of US naval blockade against Iran.

The SNSC said it will control the strait by demanding vessel information, issuing passage permits, charging fees for security and environmental services, and directing traffic according to its regulations and wartime protocols, Xinhua news agency reported.

"By the time the enemy seeks to cause disruption to the vessels' transit through the strait and resorts to methods such as imposing a naval blockade, which will be considered as violations of the (current two-week) ceasefire, the country will prevent the conditional and restricted reopening of the Strait of Hormuz," it said.