Trump undermined by his own Navy over Hormuz blockade | US | News
American forces have issued a stern warning to ships in the Strait of Hormuz to “prepare to board” as the US military enforces Donald Trump’s naval blockade of Iranian ports.
US Central Command released audio of the warning on Wednesday, even as Trump claimed he had “permanently opened” the strait following secret talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“The United States announced the official blockade of Iranian ports in the coastal areas,” a military official said in the recording.
“This is a legal action. All ships are advised to return to port immediately if separated, and if your next port of call is Iran, to stop transiting to Iran and not attempt to violate the blockade.”
The official warned that any ship violating the blockade “will be boarded for interdiction and seizure” and “we will use force”.
Trump’s paradox
The US military’s warning appears to directly contradict Trump’s post on Truth Social, in which he claimed the strait was “permanently open” after reaching a deal with Xi to stop China from arming Iran.
“China is very happy that I have permanently opened the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote. “I’m doing this for them and for the Earth too. This situation will never happen again.”
A senior White House official told the Daily Mail that despite Trump’s remarks, “the blockade remains fully in force and working.” It is not yet clear whether the president immediately declared the strait open to ships or signaled his intention to reach a permanent solution while peace talks with Iran continue.
How did the blockade begin?
Peace talks with Tehran collapsed over the weekend, and Trump began imposing a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil chokepoint through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, in a bid to force Iran back to the negotiating table. The president is said to be reluctant to continue the bombing campaign that has plunged the Middle East into chaos.
Iran responded by flooding the strait with explosive speedboats, drones and naval mines at the start of Operation Epic Fury. The regime has also sought to impose unofficial tolls on passing oil tankers, allowing privileged partners such as China and India to pass more freely while pressuring Western ships.
China condemns the blockade
Beijing, the world’s largest importer of Iranian oil, reacted angrily. Xi Jinping called Trump’s decision “dangerous and irresponsible” and warned against returning to the “laws of the jungle”.
According to the New York Times, since the blockade went into effect, ships in the Gulf have begun to adopt ship-evasion tactics to avoid detection by US forces.
“We’re now starting to see ships going dark or using ‘zombie’ or random designation,” maritime intelligence analyst Ami Daniel told the newspaper.
The report states that Iranian ships began to manipulate the global maritime surveillance system while entering and exiting Iranian ports.
On Tuesday, US forces blocked six oil tankers from passing through the strait. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing to send 6,000 more soldiers to the region with the USS George HW Bush and several accompanying warships.
