US naval blockade of Hormuz begins, China sends a warning
Tuesday, 14 April 2026
A US blockade of Iran's ports has taken effect overnight, with the White House confirming that all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz would be obstructed.
The US Central Command has said American forces would not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, but would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.”
US President Donald Trump, who accuses Iran of extortion for seeking to control the Strait of Hormuz and charge a tax on ships passing through it, said Tehran was seeking to make a deal “very badly” as a result of the blockade.
Earlier, he had warned Iran’s “fast attack ships” not to come near the US forces enforcing the closure.
“If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is quick and brutal.”
Oil prices once more tipped over US$100 on the news, reaching $103.86 at one point in the session, which remains open.
About 20,000 crew members are currently stranded on 230 or so loaded ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, reporting acute shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. Traffic has already reached a virtual standstill, due to high insurance risks and Iranian threats.
Trump’s move to put his own blockade in has set off alarm bells in China, which is the largest importer of crude oil and buys approximately 80% of Iran's oil exports (up to 1.5 million barrels a day). About 40% of China's total oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun warned “The Strait of Hormuz is open to us” and that Beijing expects others “not to interfere” in its energy agreements with Iran.
It has also warned the Trump blockade would have a disastrous effect on global trade. US markets were up overnight but European markets are all in red.
The heads of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the International Energy Agency issued a joint statement warning that the shock is 'substantial, global, and highly asymmetric,' specifically noting its potential to trigger global food security crises due to surging fertiliser costs.
The European Union meanwhile says it does not support any action that curtails free navigation through the Strait, but EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas told the BBC she was still not sure what the US blockade entails.
She emphasised that the EU did not support any tolls or blocks on a route that has in the past “been open for anybody”.
EU member states would be willing to aid passage through the Strait once there is a cessation of hostilities in the region, she said.