Trump Orders Hormuz Blockade, Oil Jumps Past $104
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- President Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would "begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," with the operation set to start at 10 am Eastern Time.
- U.S. Central Command clarified the blockade targets only vessels heading to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, enforced "impartially against vessels of all nations" — a narrower scope than Trump's "any and all" language.
- Tankers in the Persian Gulf began moving away from the chokepoint, with a Malta-flagged VLCC that had tried to reach Iraq turning back to anchor off Oman's coast, per Reuters citing Kpler and LSEG data.
- Two Pakistan-flagged vessels entered the Persian Gulf, en route to the UAE and Kuwait to load crude and fuels.
- Three loaded tankers still successfully traversed the strait on Saturday — the first to do so since a ceasefire deal brokered by Pakistan the prior week, per Reuters.
- Oil prices jumped on the news, with Brent crude at $102.14 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $104.76 per barrel at the time of writing.
Why it matters: Shippers now face ambiguity between Trump's 'any and all ships' rhetoric and CENTCOM's narrower Iran-only enforcement — a gap that helps explain why some vessels rerouted while three already cleared the strait Saturday. The immediate market hit: WTI crossed $104.76 and Brent hit $102.14, putting direct cost pressure on crude importers routing Persian Gulf barrels.
