23:21 13-04-2026

Iran Calls US Naval Blockade Illegal and Piracy

Official U.S. Navy Page from United States of AmericaMass Communicatin Specialist 3rd/U.S. Navy Photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Iran says the US naval blockade is illegal and warns it will monitor all ship movements in the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions at sea.

Tehran considers Washington’s decision to impose a naval blockade illegal and regards it as piracy, according to Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a representative of the Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Iranian armed forces, as cited by Tasnim.

Zolfaghari said Iran views US restrictions on maritime traffic in international waters as unlawful and as an act of sea piracy.

He also said that even after the fighting stopped, threats against Iran, its people, and its national security had not disappeared. For that reason, Tehran intends to monitor all vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz.

Zolfaghari warned that if the security of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman comes under threat, the safety of other ports in those waters can no longer be guaranteed.

Earlier, US Central Command announced that American forces would begin a naval blockade of Iran on April 13. The move involves blocking ships heading to ports of the Islamic Republic, as well as vessels attempting to leave the country’s coastline.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said Tehran sees the approach of military ships to the Strait of Hormuz as a violation of the truce.