Iran’s military said the announced US naval blockade, set to begin today (Monday), would be illegal and described it as piracy. It said Gulf ports could be at risk if Iran’s own ports were threatened.
“The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy,” a statement read on Iranian state television declared.
“If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ports in the waters of the ‘Arabian’ Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe,” it added.
Iranian leaders have vowed to counter the blockade, dw.com reports.
Before the US military’s announcement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had warned that they had full control of traffic through Hormuz and would trap any challenger “in a deadly vortex.”
Trump said on Sunday that his goal was to clear the Strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping, but that Iran must not be allowed to profit from controlling the waterway.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today (Monday) that no amount of pressure would coerce Britain into actively participating in the US-Israeli war on Iran or the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by US President Donald Trump.
“We’re not supporting the blockade,” he told broadcaster BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the waterway reopened.
“It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that’s where we’ve put all of our efforts in the last few days and we’ll continue to do so,” Starmer said.
Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, but added that the deployment was “focused from our point of view on getting the Strait full open.
