US begins blockade of Iranian ports amid fragile ceasefire, Tehran threatens retaliation
Trump says Beijing ‘would like to see this ended’ as the US moves to stop vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports
The United States began a naval blockade on Iranian ports on Monday after US-Iran peace talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz failed over the weekend, but questions persist over how fully the measures can be enforced and what they will mean in practice.
Despite concerns of escalation, Pakistan, which has acted as mediator in the peace negotiations, continued efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict, including a phone call with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi to support the fragile ceasefire and encourage further negotiations.
“The immediate priority is to make every effort towards preventing the resumption of hostilities and to maintain the hard-won ceasefire momentum,” Wang told Dar, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
During a press gaggle later on Monday, US President Donald Trump said Beijing “would like to see this ended”, citing “a very good relationship with China”.
“We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work to do, they would like to work,” said Trump when asked about diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. The US president did not specify who the callers were.
In a social media post, Trump said the bulk of Iran’s navy had already been destroyed during the war. He said that if any of what he said were Tehran’s few remaining “fast attack ships” approach the blockade “they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea”.
Iranians dismiss Trump threats to block Hormuz Strait