The United States Navy is expected to relaunch its naval blockade operation against Iran within hours, according to a report by Iran focused analyst Babak Taghvaee, who cited unnamed U.S. government sources. The report has not been confirmed by the Pentagon or Central Command.
According to the sources cited by Taghvaee, the renewed blockade would go further than earlier rounds, barring Iran not only from exporting petrochemical products and natural gas but also preventing commercial vessels from operating out of Iranian ports altogether. The sources also said the operation would be paired with daily airstrikes against military targets inside Iran, under the Operation Epic Fury framework the United States has used since the war began in February.
The report surfaces at a moment when the ceasefire architecture between Washington and Tehran is already under severe strain. The US military carried out a fresh wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked the license that had allowed Iran to sell crude oil and petrochemical products, after three tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier and a Saudi flagged supertanker. Central Command said the strikes were meant to impose heavy costs for what it called a clear violation of the ceasefire. Iran has until July 17 to wind down any oil transactions under the revoked license. Iran's foreign ministry has condemned the American moves as a breach of the framework agreement that ended the war and warned it would take any measures it deems necessary to protect its national security.
