PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 13th, 2026

The White House announced it will begin a high-risk operation to clear naval mines from the Strait of Hormuz and enforce a blockade on Iranian ports, while across the Atlantic, Hungary's Viktor Orbán conceded defeat after sixteen years in power to a pro-European Union challenger. Here is what happened and why it matters.

The Strait of Hormuz Operation: Clearing Mines and Squeezing Iran

After a confusing statement from President Trump on Sunday about a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Central Command stepped in to clarify what the United States actually intends to do. The U.S. is not shutting down the strait itself. Instead, CENTCOM says it will enforce a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, effective as of 10 AM Eastern Time on Monday. The enforcement applies to vessels of all nations, but ships traveling between non-Iranian ports will be allowed to move through the strait. This is essentially a move to squeeze Iran directly.