Summary of this article
Iran warned it would block the Red Sea, Gulf, and Sea of Oman if the US continues its naval blockade, calling any US action a ceasefire violation.
CENTCOM announced a "complete halt" to Iran’s maritime trade, enforcing the blockade impartially against all vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Despite the blockade, around 15 ships, including Iranian and sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours.
Iran has warned it will block maritime trade through the Red Sea, the Gulf, and the Sea of Oman if the United States maintains its newly announced naval blockade against Iranian ports.
The threat came Wednesday from Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command centre, in a statement carried by Iranian state television.
"If the US continues its blockade and creates insecurity for Iran's commercial vessels and oil tankers, it will constitute a prelude to violating the ceasefire," Abdollahi said. "The powerful armed forces of the republic will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea."
The US blockade began Monday, enforced by US Central Command (CENTCOM) along a line between Gwadar Bay and Ras al Hadd. CENTCOM announced Tuesday that maritime trade to and from Iran had been "completely halted." The command said the blockade is applied "impartially against vessels of all nations" entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
According to CENTCOM, no ships made it past the blockade in the first 24 hours. Six vessels complied with orders to turn back and re-enter an Iranian port.
US President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday, following failed weekend peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad.
Despite the blockade, ship traffic data showed that around 15 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the 24 hours up to 0900 GMT, with 10 exiting the strait. Among them were Iranian container vessels, a Chinese-owned tanker, a Greek crude oil tanker, and a Brazilian bulk carrier. Data from MarineTraffic also showed that US-sanctioned vessels passed through the strait on Tuesday.
