Trump threatens Iranian ships as US blockade takes effect
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The news: US President Donald Trump warned that if any Iranian “fast attack ships” approach the US Naval blockade, they would be targeted by the US as the blockade came into effect on Monday (12:00am AEST Tuesday).
Writing via Truth Social, Trump said: “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal.”
The news comes after the US published a notice that it would capture ships contravening blockade measures, according to a Bloomberg report. Meanwhile, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO) published a notice that the blockade would enforced to Iranian ports and coastal areas along the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz as well as the Strait of Hormuz.
The context: Trump announced that the US Navy would impose a full blockade of the vital shipping corridor over the weekend, after Iranian and US negotiators failed to reach an agreement during ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Earlier on Monday, head of the International Maritime Organisation, Arsenio Dominguez, hit out at the US blockade, stating that countries did not “have the right to blockade an international strait that is used for international navigation.”
“Shipping continues to be used as collateral…De-escalation is what’s going to help us address the crisis”, Dominguez told journalists.
Iran threatened to retaliate against Gulf ports should the blockade go ahead on Monday, calling the restrictions illegal.
The numbers: Meanwhile, OPEC announced that crude oil production fell by 7.89 million barrels a day to 20.79 million barrels a day in March, a record amount, while output from the broader OPEC+ alliance slumped by 7.70 million barrels a day to 35.05 million barrels a day.
As around 70% of OPEC’s production comes from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait, output has been severely hampered by the ongoing Middle East conflict.
The sources: Truth Social , OPEC monthly report, UKTMPO Advisory, WSJ, Bloomberg
