The United States military is now actively pursuing Iranian-flagged vessels and ships supporting the Islamic Republic anywhere in the world, Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced Thursday — a significant expansion of the blockade President Trump ordered last week.
The announcement came at a Pentagon press conference alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who delivered a blunt message to Tehran: “Choose wisely.”
“The joint force, through operations and activities in other areas of responsibility, like the Pacific Area of Responsibility under the command of Admiral Samuel Paparo, will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” Caine said.
That includes what military officials are calling “Dark Fleet” vessels — ships operating outside normal international regulations and insurance requirements to move Iranian oil past sanctions.
Trump first announced the Strait of Hormuz blockade on Sunday. By Tuesday, U.S. Central Command confirmed Iranian ports were fully cut off. Thursday’s announcement means the net now extends far beyond the Persian Gulf.
Caine drew a distinction that will matter for global shipping: “Let me be clear, this blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports. The U.S. action is a blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline, not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Non-Iranian traffic through the strait is still moving. The enforcement zone is inside Iranian territorial waters.
Hegseth’s message to Tehran was direct.
“To Iran: Choose wisely. I pray you choose a deal which is in your grasp for the betterment of your people and for the betterment of the world,” Hegseth said. “In the meantime, the War Department is locked and loaded.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt repeated similar assurances on Wednesday that the blockade is targeted at Iran specifically and not a closure of one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes.
The Indo-Pacific expansion brings the U.S. Navy directly into enforcement of sanctions that have largely gone unenforced for years. Iranian oil has continued to flow to buyers willing to use shadow fleets to dodge Western penalties.
