Vance accuses Iran of ‘economic terrorism’

WASHINGTON – A US blockade of Iran’s ports is in place, having begun at 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT/15:00 BST) on Monday, according to Donald Trump.

US Vice-President JD Vance accuses Iran of ‘economic terrorism’ by blocking the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the war

“Well, as the president of the United States showed, two can play at that game,” he says. “If the Iranians are going to try to engage in economic terrorism… no Iranian ships are getting out, either.”

In a social media post, Donald Trump warns that any Iranian ‘fast attack ships’ caught trying to approach the blockade ‘will be immediately eliminated’. Earlier, Iran’s parliament Speaker said the country would not ‘surrender under threats’ – there has been no response to Trump’s latest remarks. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issues an advisory, saying ships in the area may encounter a ‘military presence’ and ‘right-of-visit procedures during passage’. Direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials are set to be held in the US later today – the first such negotiations in decades.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has condemned the US blockade on Iranian ports as a ‘grave violation’ of its sovereignty.

In a letter to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Amir Saeid Iravani says the ‘unlawful’ blockade ‘constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea’.

On Monday, Guterres called on ‘all parties’ to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway for global oil shipping.

The US military imposed the blockade on Iranian ports from 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT) on Monday, after peace talks with Iran in Pakistan broke down. The US Central Command said the blockade will be enforced “impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports or coastal areas”, but it will ‘not impede’ vessels in the Strait of Hormuz travelling ‘to and from non-Iranian ports’.