ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Brad Cooper on Wednesday said that the US military has “completely halted” Iran’s economic trade by sea, amid a blockade on Iranian ports imposed earlier in the week.

“A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East,” Cooper said in a statement posted by the command on X.

“An estimated 90% of Iran's economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” Cooper claimed.

The blockade, which started on April 13 at 10 am Eastern Time, comes amid a two-week ceasefire announced earlier this month that has thus far led to a near-complete halt of military activity following a conflict that began in late February.

Announcing the blockade, CENTCOM said in a statement on Sunday that it will include vessels from all nationalities, adding that US military “will not impede freedom of navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz for ships traveling to or from non-Iranian ports.

Iran and the US met in Islamabad in recent days to conduct direct talks. The meeting produced no agreement after over 20 hours of negotiations.

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Wednesday that the war with Iran is “close to over,” claiming it would take Tehran 20 years to rebuild following damage sustained during the conflict.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “I think it’s close to over, yeah, I mean I view it as very close to over.”

“If I pull up stakes right now, it will take them 20 years to rebuild that country,” he added. “We are not finished. We will see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”