Tehran [Iran] / Washington [US], April 14: Iran has suggested that the United States blockade on Iranian ports will only hurt the international economy after President Donald Trump ordered a naval siege against the country.
"Can an illegal 'war of choice' be won through a 'revenge of choice' against the global economy?!" Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei posted on X on Monday. "Is it ever worthwhile to cut off one's nose to spite one's face?!" Trump warned Iranian military ships against approaching the blockade zone.
"Iran's Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we did not consider them much of a threat," Trump wrote in a social media post.
"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED." The blockade, which Trump announced on Sunday after US and Iranian negotiators failed to reach a deal after a round of talks in Pakistan, came into effect on Monday at 10am in Washington, DC (14:00 GMT).
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre announced it was notified that the US blockade will apply "without distinction" to ships engaging with Iranian ports and oil terminals.
"The restrictions encompass the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including the ports and energy infrastructure," UKMTO, which is affiliated with the British navy, said in an advisory.
Although the ceasefire stipulated that Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz, vessel traffic has not increased in the strategic waterway.
Iranian officials have accused the US of violating the truce by allowing Israel to continue to bomb and conduct a ground invasion in Lebanon. Pakistan, which mediated the ceasefire, had said all regional fronts - including Lebanon - were part of the deal.
While Trump's move to blockade Iran's ports could hamper the already ailing Iranian economy, it is unlikely to loosen the Iranian grip on Hormuz or bring down energy prices.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliament speaker, who led Tehran's negotiating team in Islamabad, warned on Sunday that the US naval siege will only raise petrol prices for Americans.
The average price of one gallon (2.8 litres) of petrol in the US is now more than $4.12, up from less than $3 before the war began. "Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called 'blockade', Soon you'll be nostalgic for $4-$5 gas," Ghalibaf wrote on X.
Iran has promised to defend its territorial waters, saying the naval siege amounts to "piracy".
An Iranian army statement on Monday said if the security of Iran's "ports in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe", referring to the Gulf, which is also known as the Arabian Gulf.
"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy," said the statement issued by the Iranian military's central command centre, Khatam Al-Anbiya, that was read on state television.
China, Washington's great power rival and a big importer of Iranian oil, also criticised the US plan.
"The Strait of Hormuz is an important international trade route for goods and energy, and maintaining its security, stability, and unimpeded flow is in the common interest of the international community," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said, urging Iran and the US not to reignite the war.
Source: Qatar Tribune