Iranian Military Threatens Red Sea, Persian Gulf Shipping if US Blockade Continues

The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has been in effect since April 13.

Damage is visible to a residential building that, according to Iranian authorities, was hit by a strike on March 4 during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in southeastern Tehran, Iran, on April 14, 2026. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

The Iranian military on April 15 threatened to block shipping in the Red Sea if the U.S. military keeps up its blockade of Iranian ports, as the U.S. command in the region said shipping to the country has been halted.

According to Iran’s state-run PressTV, Iranian Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi said that if the United States keeps up “its illegal action of naval blockade in the region and [creating] insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action by the US will be the precursor to violating the ceasefire, and the powerful Iranian armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea.”