This article is from: srnnews.com
US Says 37 Ships Redirected Under Iran Blockade
By The Media Line Staff
American forces said Saturday they had redirected 37 ships and intercepted the Sevan in the Arabian Sea as Washington continued enforcing President Donald Trump’s blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, deepening the maritime standoff with Tehran after failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan.
US Central Command said the merchant vessel was “complying with US military direction to turn back to Iran under escort.” The command said the operation was part of continuing efforts to enforce US sanctions and the blockade.
President Trump announced the naval restrictions on April 12 after talks with Iran in Islamabad failed to produce an agreement. The Strait of Hormuz, linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is one of the world’s most important oil transit routes, making any military confrontation there a direct threat to global energy markets.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that “any threat against the security of the Strait of Hormuz will have large-scale consequences for global trade.”
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country’s main military command, repeated Saturday that Tehran would respond if Washington continued what it called “blockade, banditry and piracy” in the region.
The latest confrontation came as diplomacy appeared to stall. President Trump said earlier Saturday that he had canceled a planned trip by US representatives to Islamabad for another round of talks with Iran. The move left Pakistan’s mediation effort in limbo and added pressure to an already tense regional crisis.
The US blockade follows months of rising tension over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions enforcement, and shipping through the Gulf. Tehran has long treated the Strait of Hormuz as strategic leverage, while Washington has sought to prevent Iranian oil exports and weapons-related shipments from reaching international markets.
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