Trump Announces U.S. Blockade of Iranian Ports Effective April 13

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 13 that the United States would commence a blockade of all vessel traffic to and from Iranian ports, effective 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on the same day. This significant policy shift was reported by Huo Xing Finance, citing a post made by Trump on his personal social media platform at 10:00 a.m. ET. The directive follows a period of intensified tensions and unsuccessful U.S.-Iran negotiations. Just one day prior, on April 12, President Trump had publicly expressed his indifference to Iran potentially returning to the negotiating table, further stating his disappointment with NATO's perceived lack of support for U.S. actions targeting Iran. The blockade marks a critical escalation in U.S. pressure tactics.