US lifts naval blockade of Iranian ports after ceasefire deal
US Central Command announced on June 18 that it had ceased enforcing its naval blockade of Iranian ports, one of the first concrete steps to follow the US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed the previous day. The command said US forces would maintain their presence in the region even as blockade operations stopped.
Lifting the blockade restores commercial shipping access to Iran’s main oil-export and import terminals, which the United States had choked off during the war. Iran separately said it was suspending transit charges in the Strait of Hormuz for commercial vessels for 60 days, a parallel move that eases the cost of moving cargo through the waterway.
The step is reversible and depends on both sides honoring the new agreement, which leaves core disputes — including the proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund and long-term limits on Iran’s nuclear program — unresolved. Continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon and skepticism among US lawmakers and pro-Israel groups in Washington are the main near-term risks to the deal holding.