Iran’s top general warns US over illegal naval blockade in Persian Gulf
Iran’s top military commander, Major General Ali Abdollahi, has issued a stern warning to the United States, stating that any attempt to block maritime trade in the Persian Gulf or Sea of Oman would be met with decisive action.
In remarks made on Wednesday, General Abdollahi, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, emphasized that if the US continues its illegal maritime blockade and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial vessels and oil tankers, it would be a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
He added that Iran’s military forces would not allow any exports or imports to take place in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, or the Red Sea.
“Should the aggressive and terrorist United States continue its illegal action of naval blockade in the region and create insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action by the US will be the precursor to violating the ceasefire, and the powerful Iranian armed forces will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea,” he said.
“Iran will take strong measures to defend its national sovereignty and interests,” he added.
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in the American-Israeli war of terrorism against the Islamic Republic on April 8, but their talks in Islamabad to reach a peace deal fell through due to “excessive” US demands reportedly dictated by the Zionist regime.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced an alleged naval blockade of Iranian ports, declaring that the US Navy would “seek and interdict every vessel” attempting to enter or leave Iran’s coastal areas.
The move was framed as a response to collapsed peace talks in Pakistan and Iran’s administration of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
But within hours, the blockade showed its first cracks. At least four Iran-linked vessels, including a US-sanctioned Chinese oil tanker, transited the strait without incident.
Shipping data cited by Reuters showed the first full day of the blockade made little difference to Strait of Hormuz traffic, with at least eight ships crossing the waterway.
At least two ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the Strait of Hormuz despite a blockade threat by the US military, maritime tracking reports have indicated.
The blockade has created even further uncertainty for shippers, oil companies and war risk insurers. Traffic remains at only a fraction of the 130-plus daily crossings before the US and Israel’s war on Iran began on February 28, industry sources said.
The US Central Command claims it has defined a 21,000-square-mile enforcement zone along Iran’s coastline, with at least 15 warships monitoring shipping transponder data, radar, and aerial patrols. The stated objective is to stop Iranian oil exports.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a US-sanctioned Chinese-owned tanker that exited through the Strait of Hormuz had returned to the eastern edge of the Persian Gulf, hewing to the Iranian coast.
The Rich Starry, an oil and chemical tanker that is under sanctions from the US for working with Iran, was at anchor close to the coastline of Iran early Wednesday, it added.
The ship left the strait on Tuesday before making a U-turn in the Sea of Oman, where the US is reportedly operating to enforce its blockade of ships using Iranian ports.
Experts warn that Trump’s measure will merely drive up oil prices, depress stock markets, and fuel global inflation.
Bloomberg opinion columnist Marc Champion wrote that the blockade only works “if you believe the Islamic Republic won’t respond by hitting more energy assets around the Persian Gulf, and will fold under the resulting pressure before Trump does”.
“Both propositions seem so vanishingly unlikely that it’s hard to understand what it is the White House hopes to gain by trying,” he said.
“The Hormuz blockade is a throwdown the US can’t win,” Champion added.
