JAKARTA - Iranian ships approaching the United States blockade on Iranian ports "will be destroyed immediately," President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Claiming the Iranian Navy's strength was destroyed, President Trump said that all that was left were fast attack boats, which would be destroyed if they approached the US blockade.
"The Iranian Navy lies at the bottom of the sea, completely destroyed, 158 ships. What we have not attacked is a small number of ships that they call 'fast attack boats,' because we do not consider them a major threat," President Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, launching Anadolu (13/4).
"Warning: If any of these boats approach our blockade, they will be immediately destroyed, using the same destruction system we use against drug dealers on boats at sea," he continued.
His warning came just after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) began implementing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports.
The threat comes despite international calls for the ceasefire to be respected and negotiations to continue.
The US military said the blockade would begin at 14.00 GMT and apply to all ships leaving or attempting to dock at Iranian ports, although after the deadline passed, there was no announcement that the action had taken effect, nor any signs of interception, citing Al Arabiya from AFP.
Separately, the head of the International Maritime Organization, Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, said on Monday that no country can "prohibit the right of peaceful passage or freedom of navigation through international straits used for international transit", referring to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has closed the strait to what it considers enemy vessels, allowing only ships serving countries it considers friendly - such as China - to pass through, following the conflict that broke out in the Middle East on February 28.
The US-Israeli attack on the capital Tehran and a number of other cities in Iran has left more than 1,340 people dead, including the late Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran retaliated by carrying out attacks on Israeli territory, as well as targeting US-related facilities in countries in the Middle East.
A two-week ceasefire announced last week by the US and Iran brought a breath of fresh air, with direct talks between the parties to be held soon.
However, stalled negotiations over the weekend, which included discussing the Strait of Hormuz as well as Iran's nuclear program, led President Trump to threaten a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
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