US military says it will start blockade of all ships going to and from Iran on Monday

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Central Command said it will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), after President Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy would start ​blockading the Strait of Hormuz.

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports," CENTCOM wrote in a statement on social media.

Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice before the blockade starts, CENTCOM added.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, editing by Deepa Babington)