Iran has warned it could target ports across the Mideast Gulf if its own facilities are attacked, describing US plans to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports as "piracy".
"If the security of Iran's ports… is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe," Iran's armed forces said in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB. Tehran said US restrictions on vessel movements in international waters are "illegal".
Iran also said it would "firmly implement a permanent mechanism to control the strait of Hormuz", under which vessels linked to its enemies would be denied passage. Other ships would be allowed to transit subject to conditions set by Iran's armed forces.
The warning comes after Washington said it would begin a blockade of Iranian ports from 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT) today. The move was announced after talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad over the weekend ended without agreement and failed to reopen the strait.
Oil prices have risen sharply following the US' blockade announcement. The front-month June Ice Brent contract was $102.41/bl at around 10:45 GMT today, up by about 8pc on the previous close.
US Central Command said the blockade would target vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, while allowing navigation to and from non-Iranian ports through Hormuz. US president Donald Trump also warned that ships complying with Iranian transit conditions, including the payment of tolls, could be stopped in international waters.
The negotiations in Islamabad ended after more than 20 hours, with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown. A ceasefire announced earlier this month remains in place but is fragile.
No major attacks have been reported on Mideast Gulf energy infrastructure or Iranian targets since the talks, although clashes continue in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Shipping through the strait of Hormuz remains constrained.
French president Emmanuel Macron today called for a "swift, durable diplomatic settlement" and urged the restoration of "free and unimpeded navigation" through Hormuz. France and the UK plan to convene partners in the coming days to establish a multinational maritime mission to safeguard transit.
The standoff underscores a widening gap, with Washington seeking to enforce freedom of navigation, while Tehran moves towards a system of conditional access of the strait under its control.
