Photo credit: Reuters
President Donald Trump said on Sunday the US Navy would start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks wth Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardizing a fragile two-week ceasefire.
The Korea Herald reports that the US Central Command stated US forces would begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 am ET on Monday.
It would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf of Oman,” a CENTCOM statement on social media said.
US forces would not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, and additional information would be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice before the start of the blockade, it said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded to Trump by warning that military vessels approaching the Strait will be considered a ceasefire breach and dealt with harshly and decisively, underlining the risk of a dangerous escalation.
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who led his country’s delegation to the talks along with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, said Trump’s new threats would have no effect on Iran.
