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Indefinite blockade, morale crisis
The United States threatened to maintain an “indefinite” naval blockade on Iranian ports as ceasefire talks remained in deadlock, while reports described deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and accounts of sailors trying to jump overboard.
“indefinite" naval blockade on Iranian ports”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that “Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out,” during a trip to Panama.
The Middle East Eye report said the Lincoln had been deployed in the Middle East for more than 250 days without a port call, and that the Wall Street Journal reported the carrier would be rotated out and replaced with the USS George Washington.
Al Jazeera also linked the blockade threat to the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) posted on X that “The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.”
Two narratives on Hormuz
While Washington said it could keep the blockade going indefinitely and framed it as maritime security, Iran asserted the Strait of Hormuz remained under its control and administration and that no ship could pass without its consent.
Iran’s Basij commander Hussein Taib said it is “under Iran’s control and administration,” and the Hormuz Strait Authority said American claims that the strait is open “do not change the reality, which shows the strait as closed.”
Reuters reported that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was approaching “complete standstill” as two more ships were attacked, and it said Kpler ship-tracking showed two ships managed to cross while no crude oil shipments were observed crossing on Friday.
The Reuters report also quoted a senior Iranian official saying talks aimed at building on the June agreement to end the war had made no progress, as Iran resumed attacks on ships it says attempted to pass without permission.
Economic pressure and shipping risk
The blockade and related economic pressure were tied to new measures aimed at isolating Iran financially, with Al Jazeera saying US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned the US would apply measures “that have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country.”
“that have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country”
Reuters said the U.S. intended to deal Iran a greater financial blow and quoted Steven Mnuchin saying, “Stay tuned for more decisions next week, because we will implement unprecedented measures in the history of economic isolation for any country.”
CNBC reported that Brent futures rose 9 cents to $87.16 a barrel by 0130 GMT and that U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 4 cents to $81.29 a barrel after the U.S. threatened to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely.
In parallel, Reuters said nine vessels traversed the waterway on Thursday up from five on Wednesday but still below the August average of 12 vessels, while it noted the pre-war daily rate of about 130 ships through the Hormuz Strait.
