Iran threatens to retaliate against Gulf ports as US begins naval blockade
The US military’s regional Central Command said the blockade would be 'enforced impartially against vessels of all nations' entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman
As the US military began a blockade of ships leaving Iran's ports yesterday (13 April), Tehran threatened to retaliate against ports of its Gulf neighbours.
Nato allies including Britain and France said they would not be drawn into the conflict by taking part in the blockade, stressing instead the need to reopen the waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil normally passes, Reuters reported.
The US military's regional Central Command said the blockade would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
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An Iranian military spokesperson called any US restrictions on international shipping "piracy," warning that if Iranian ports were threatened, no port in the Gulf or Gulf of Oman would be secure.
Any military vessels approaching the strait would violate the ceasefire, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said.
Meanwhile, Iranian "attack ships" will be "eliminated" if they approach US naval blockade, Donald Trump said in a new post on Truth Social.
"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, and BBC reported.
"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea," the post further said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said efforts were still ongoing to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran.
It comes after negotiations between the two nations – held in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, over the weekend – failed to amount to a deal.
"The ceasefire is still holding and, as I speak, full efforts are under way to resolve the outstanding issues," Sharif told his cabinet, BBC reported.
US CentCom warns seafarers
The US blockade in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz will apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, the US Central Command said in a note to seafarers seen by Reuters yesterday.
"Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture," the note said.
"The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations."
US aircraft carrier and two destroyers spotted near Gulf of Oman
Checking satellite imagery, BBC further reported that it spotted a US aircraft carrier and two destroyers near the Gulf of Oman.
Satellite imagery from Saturday shows the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier positioned at the eastern edge of the Gulf of Oman, roughly 200km to the south of the Iranian coast, the report said.
This is the closest to the Gulf that we have observed the nuclear-powered warship since the start of the war, it mentioned.
Two other nearby warships visible in the imagery are consistent in size and shape with US Navy guided-missile destroyers.
They are likely to be part of the Lincoln's carrier strike group, but we cannot identify exactly which vessels are visible.
Pope Leo 'not afraid of the Trump administration'
Pope Leo yesterday told reporters he is "not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel," and he will continue to speak out against war.
This comes after Trump criticised the Pope who repeatedly urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" and the international community to "choose peace" and to end "the madness of war."
Trump said the Pope should "focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician". He accuses the pontiff of being "weak on crime" and "catering to the Radical Left". In a lengthy social media post, Trump says Pope Leo should be "thankful," adding: "If I wasn't in the White House, Leo wouldn't be in the Vatican," reports BBC.
The first US Pope, Leo, while starting a 10-day tour to four African countries yesterday, told reporters, "I don't want to get into a debate with him."
"I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems," he said.
"Too many people are suffering in the world today," said Leo. "Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there's a better way."
