The Phantom Tollbooth
The mechanics of 'blockade' and 'interdiction' in the Gulf War of 2026
On 12 April 2026, at 11:30 in the morning, Donald J. Trump posted a Truth Social message in which he announced, among other things, that he had just ordered the US Navy to impose a blockade on ‘… any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz’ and ‘interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran’. (Truth Social)
In doing this, however, President Trump declined to describe the mechanics of these measures. Thus, while I can reasonably predict that American naval authorities will permit (and, indeed, assist) the passage of vessels that refrain from paying the aforementioned toll, I find myself wondering about the fate of those ships that took part in the Iranian answer to the EZPass program.