The U.S. military has instituted a maritime blockade in waters of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Central Command said in a navigational note issued to mariners on Monday. The directive took effect at 1400 GMT on Monday and applies to all vessel traffic regardless of flag.
According to the note, any vessel that attempts to enter or depart the specified blockaded area without prior authorization faces the possibility of interception, diversion, and capture. The notice makes clear that enforcement actions could include measures to stop and redirect non-authorized ships within the zone.
The Central Command also stated that the blockade is not intended to prevent neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from destinations that are not Iranian. That exemption is limited to transit through the strait itself; the broader blockaded area in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea remains subject to the restrictions outlined in the advisory.
Neutral vessels operating in or near the affected waters should be prepared for the right of visit and search, the advisory added. Such procedures are intended to determine whether contraband cargo is present aboard neutral ships and, per the notice, neutral vessels may be boarded for inspection.
The guidance explicitly permits humanitarian shipments - including foodstuffs, medical supplies, and other essential goods - to transit the blockaded area, but it conditions that access on the completion of inspection procedures. The advisory indicates that humanitarian consignments will be allowed entry only after they have undergone the applicable inspections described in the note.
The navigational note from U.S. Central Command functions as a direct instruction to mariners and to commercial and private shipping operators whose planned courses intersect the identified waters. It outlines both the exceptions and the enforcement measures that will be applied during the period the blockade is in force.