Iran Warns It May Block Shipping in Key Waterways

An Iranian commander is warning that the shipping lanes around his country could become a lot less open if the US keeps squeezing its ports. Ali Abdollahi, who heads Iran's top operational military command, said that if Washington's naval blockade continues and disrupts Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, Tehran would treat it as "a prelude to a violation of the ceasefire," reports the BBC. US Central Command said Wednesday that the blockade had been "fully implemented," notes CNN.

Abdollahi said Iran's forces would move to block "any exports or imports" in the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, and Red Sea—chokepoints critical to global trade—though he didn't name which countries might be hit. The US began its blockade of Iranian ports on Monday and said that in the first 24 hours no vessels breached it, with six merchant ships turning back in the Gulf of Oman. A fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced April 8 after nearly six weeks of fighting involving Israel; an initial round of talks has already failed, though both sides are reportedly exchanging messages through Pakistani mediators. President Trump says negotiations could restart within days, but Iran has not confirmed.