The U.S. naval blockade targeting Iranian oil shipments has cost Tehran about $6 billion in lost revenue since mid-April, according to reports.
The assessment comes as the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that 49 commercial vessels have been turned back or redirected since the blockade, targeting ships traveling to and from Iranian ports, began on April 13.
Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, visited USS Milius (DDG 69), May 2, as the guided-missile destroyer patrolled regional waters in support of the U.S. blockade operations against Iran. While on board, he interacted with Sailors and addressed them on the 1MC while highlighting… pic.twitter.com/2qTmMmfY05
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 3, 2026
The $6 billion estimate, reported by Fox News exceeds earlier Axios assessments that placed the economic impact at about $4.8 billion.
On Friday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has proven “very profitable.”
“We…land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said, adding the U.S. Navy is acting “like pirates” to enforce the blockade.
Earlier this week, Trump said he will keep Iran under a naval blockade until Tehran agrees to a nuclear deal.
Trump said he views the blockade as more effective in pressuring Tehran than immediate military action. “The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have warned that the U.S. naval blockade “will soon be met with a decisive and different response.”
Trump on Saturday told reporters that he had received a new proposal from Iran to end the war. Iranian news outlets said the proposal was a 14-point plan submitted in response to a nine-point U.S. proposal.
In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity, and the world, over the last 47 years.”
President Trump posts on TruthSocial: I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years.… pic.twitter.com/nKG84ILC5g
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) May 2, 2026
