Samy Magdy
Updated ,first published
Cairo: US President Donald Trump warned on Monday (Washington time) that any Iranian “prompt attack” ships that come close to the US maritime blockade against Iran will be withdrawn.
Trump issued the threat shortly after US sanctions against ships entering and leaving Iran came into effect at midnight on Tuesday (AEST).
Describing Iran’s navy as “totally wiped out” during the six-week war between the US and Iran, Trump posted on Truth Social: “What we haven’t hit is their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we didn’t see them as much of a threat.”
“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere near our BLOCKADE, they will be REMOVED immediately, using the same kill system we use against drug dealers on boats at sea. Fast and brutal,” Trump wrote.
The sanctions came after marathon talks between the United States and Iran on a ceasefire in Pakistan ended without an agreement, thus setting the stage for conflict. Iran’s leaders vowed to face the sanctions.
The US High Command announced that the blockade would begin on Monday at 10am US time (midnight AEST), and “will be enforced indiscriminately against ships of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman”.
The US said it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to cross the strait, a step back from the president’s earlier threat to close the entire route.
Trump previously warned that “any Iranian who shoots at us or peacekeepers WILL BE BLOWN TO HELL”.
He said peace talks in Islamabad over the weekend went “well” but failed to reach an agreement on the key issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
An Iranian military spokesman said any US restrictions on ships in international waters were illegal and “tantamount to piracy”, and said Iran would strictly implement “permanent procedures” to control the Strait of Hormuz following US threats.
The embargo announcement halted the small volume of cruise traffic that had resumed at the peak since the ceasefire, according to Lloyd’s List intelligence. Maritime monitors said more than 40 commercial ships have crossed since the start of the ceasefire, up from about 100 to 135 a day before the war.
Later on Sunday (US time), Trump continued his hostility over war with Pope Leo XIV, lashing out at a Social Truth post that accused the Catholic leader of being “bad for foreign policy”. The extraordinary breadth came after Leo denounced the war and asked political leaders to stop and discuss peace.
The president followed up his attack with another Social Reality post of an AI-generated image of him as Jesus, appearing to heal the sick, while US warplanes fly overhead.
Pope Leo 14 later dismissed Trump’s comments, saying that the Vatican’s call for peace and reconciliation is rooted in the Gospel, and that he is not afraid of a Trump administration.
“To put my message on the plane the same as what the president has tried to do here, I think he doesn’t understand what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the Pope’s plane. “And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue with what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”
The first American-born pope in history insisted that he was not making a direct attack on Trump or anyone else for his general calls for peace and criticism of the “illusion of power” that is fueling the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.
Prevention can have a significant impact
The embargo is likely intended to increase pressure on Iran, which has shipped millions of barrels of oil since the war began, much of it carried by so-called “dark” ships that evade Western sanctions.
Trump hopes to ease Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global oil transited before the fighting began. US sanctions could further disrupt global energy markets.
Oil prices rose in early trade after the curb announcement. U.S. crude rose 8 percent to $US104.24 a barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 7 percent to $102.29. Brent crude was around $US70 a barrel before the war in late February.
Meanwhile, a chorus of senior Iranian officials threatened to retaliate. Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, wrote on X that the country’s military had “large untapped resources” to deal with any obstacle.
He said Iran will not be coerced by “tweets and imaginary plans”.
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian side in the talks, addressed Trump in a statement about his return to Iran: “If you fight, we will fight.”
The Revolutionary Guard later said that the maritime area remained under Tehran’s “full control” and was open to commercial traffic, but that the military ships would receive a “strong response”, two Iranian news agencies reported.
During 21-hour talks this weekend in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, the US military said two destroyers crossed the strait ahead of a mine-sweeping operation, the first time since the war began. Iran denied.
The face-to-face talks over the weekend were the most high-level talks between the long-time rivals since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Nuclear deterrence
Trump said Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were the main reason for the failure of the talks, and speaking to Fox News, he again threatened to strike civilian infrastructure if Iran did not abandon its nuclear program.
“In half a day they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one power plant, and they’re back in the stone age,” Trump said.
Vice President JD Vance, who headed the US delegation in Islamabad, said Washington needed “an affirmative commitment that it will not seek nuclear weapons”.
Iran’s negotiators could not agree on all of the US’s “red lines”, said a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to express positions on the record.
The red lines include Iran never getting a nuclear weapon, ending uranium enrichment, dismantling enrichment facilities and allowing access to its highly enriched uranium, as well as opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending funding to Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi rebels.
Iranian officials said talks broke down on two or three key issues, blaming what they called US aggression. Ghalibaf, who noted progress in the talks, said it was time for the United States to “decide whether it can earn our trust or not”.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, claimed that the US initiated the talks when they were within “inches” of an agreement, but did not provide evidence.
“We encountered a high level, changing poles, and a barrier,” he wrote on X.
Neither Iran nor the United States has indicated what will happen after the end of the ceasefire on April 22.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country would try to facilitate new talks in the coming days. Iran said it was ready for further talks, state news agency IRNA reported.
AP, Reuters
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