President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to resume a naval blockade of Iran following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire agreement.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the blockade, intended to block all maritime traffic "entering and exiting" Iranian ports, will resume at 4:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 14.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the command stated, "CENTCOM forces will implement blockade measures for vessels traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas," adding, "The U.S. military will continue to support the passage of all vessels through regional waters that do not violate the blockade." 

The new hostilities and the breakdown of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by President Trump and Iranian leaders follow attacks by Iranian military forces last week on several merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the U.S. struck hundreds of targets across Iran. 

The U.S. Navy previously blockaded Iran earlier this year from April 13 to June 18, a period that saw the peak of a conflict that began with joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in February. During that time, U.S. forces diverted approximately 140 vessels heading to or from Iranian ports and disabled 9 ships that violated regulations.

Conversely, CENTCOM stated that it "permitted approximately 50 merchant vessels conducting humanitarian missions to pass through the blockade lines."

CENTCOM advised that "all mariners navigating in the Gulf of Oman and the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz should monitor 'Notices to Mariners' broadcasts and contact the U.S. Navy via Bridge-to-Bridge Channel 16," adding that "further information will be provided to commercial mariners via official notices."

Meanwhile, ahead of the announcement regarding the resumption of blockade operations, CENTCOM released footage for the first time showing the U.S. Navy using maritime drones in an attack.

In an X post accompanying the video, CENTCOM announced, "Yesterday, CENTCOM forces successfully struck submarine and naval maintenance facilities in Iran using multiple one-way attack drones," noting that "three Corsair unmanned surface vessels attacked the port at Bandar Abbas naval base, marking the first time the U.S. military has deployed maritime drones in combat operations."

CENTCOM added that "last night's strikes have degraded Iran's ability to continue attacking merchant vessels."

Early Monday morning, the 13th, President Trump stated that the United States would become the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz. 

During a phone interview with Fox News, President Trump remarked, "We will be the guardian of that strait. Maybe the guardian angel of that strait, and we should be compensated for it." He added, "We will be compensated when we do that, because other nations are very wealthy and they are on our side. We cannot continue to do it for free as we have done for many years."

He further added, "We will continue to watch that strait, and perhaps we will operate it."

President Trump also announced that he would deliver an address to the nation on Thursday, the 16th, at 9:00 PM Eastern Time, leading some to speculate that he might be preparing to declare full-scale war against Iran.

U.S. NNP = Representative Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Dispatch to NNP info@newsandpost.com