The Digester
finance

US to begin naval blockade of Iranian ports as markets wobble

CENTCOM says a naval blockade of Iranian ports will begin April 13, prompting market caution as oil prices hover near $95 a barrel and inflation data lifts yields.

Apr 12th 2026 · United States

Insights

  • CENTCOM will start enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports from April 13 at 10 a.m. ET.
  • Wall Street stalled on Friday with the S&P 500 down 0.1%, the Dow down 0.6% and the Nasdaq up 0.4%, while ASX 200 futures initially pointed to a 0.8% gain.
  • Brent and WTI futures trade near $95 to $97 a barrel and are at risk of rising further if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted.
  • US CPI rose 0.9% in March, taking annual inflation to 3.3%, which pushed Treasury yields higher while the dollar slipped and risk assets including bitcoin fell.

Sources