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A US military blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports began at 14:00 GMT (15:00 BST) on Monday.
The US says ships coming or going from elsewhere would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway Iran effectively closed in response to US-Israeli strikes.
The war, which began on February 28 and is currently in the midst of a two-week truce, came to an end after negotiators on both sides failed to reach a settlement. A US official stated that there had been a much longer list of disagreements, including on Iran's control of the strait. Despite the fact that US President Donald Trump stated that direct talks with Iran in Pakistan failed due to Iran's "unwillingness to give up its nuclear ambitions," there were still disagreements. Here's what we know about the US announcement.
READ MORE: The US blockade of Iran is a gamble. Will it work?
What has Trump said about the blockade?
"BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz" was what Trump wrote on social media on Sunday.
"I have also directed our navy to search for and apprehend every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran." No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," he said.
He added that the US will also begin destroying the mines he said Iran has laid in the strait.
"We will blow up any Iranian who fires at us or peaceful vessels!" He carried on. "Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, 'There may be a mine out there somewhere,'" according to Trump, "at some point" an agreement on free passage will be reached. "Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so," he added in a subsequent post. "They better get started on the process of opening this international waterway quickly, as they promised!" He stated
How could the blockade work in practice?
A blockade is defined as "a belligerent operation to prevent vessels and/or aircraft of all states, enemy and neutral, from entering or exiting specified ports, airfields, or coastal areas belonging to, occupied by, or under the control of an enemy state" in the
US Navy Commander's handbook on naval operations law from 2022. Trump initially said the US Navy would begin the process of blockading the strait "effective immediately".
Later, the US Central Command (Centcom) stated that its troops would begin enforcing the blockade on Monday at 10:00 EDT (14:00 GMT). A note sent by Centcom to mariners, seen by the BBC, says the blockade will "encompass the entirety of the Iranian coastline to include but not limited to ports and oil terminals," and applies to all vessel traffic, regardless of flag.
"Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture," it said, stating that neutral vessels are granted a "grace period" to leave Iranian ports before the blockade begins. Centcom added that, subject to inspection, it would nevertheless permit humanitarian shipments of food, medical supplies, and other essential goods to pass. Trump stated that the strait would be blocked by other nations, but he did not specify which nations. The BBC understands that the UK will not be involved in the blockade.
In addition, Trump informed Fox News that
Nato had offered to assist in "cleaning out" the strait and that it would be available for use once more "in not too long."
Trump stated that the United States and the United Kingdom, both members of NATO, would bring in minesweepers.
Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, previously stated that British military mine-hunting systems were already present in the area. A UK government spokesperson said: "We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation."
However, Sir Keir said the UK would not join the US blockade.
The BBC was informed by three US lawyers that maritime law could be broken by a blockade. One also questioned whether a blockade, which is enforced militarily, would violate the current ceasefire agreement.
Why has the US blockaded the strait?
Tehran has been charging huge sums of money for some vessels to pass through.
By closing the strait, Trump could cut off a significant source of revenue for the Iranian government - though this could risk sending oil and gas prices even higher.
He told Fox News that "we're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like", saying the goal instead was letting "all or nothing" pass through the crucial shipping channel.
Analysts have suggested that the US president's statement was aimed at building pressure on Iran to make a deal on American terms.
Republican Congressman Mike Turner told CBS that the blockade was a means to force a resolution to the situation.
"The president, by saying we're not just going to let them decide who gets through, is certainly calling all of our allies and everyone to the table," he said.
But Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN: "I don't understand how blockading the strait is going to somehow push the Iranians into opening it."
What could the impact be?
Lars Jensen, a shipping expert, told the BBC that Trump's threat to blockade the strait will only affect a small number of vessels that are still navigating the waterway in the near future. "A very small trickle of vessels will stop if the Americans actually do this. In the greater scheme of things, it doesn't really change anything," he said.
Vespucci Maritime's chief executive, Jensen, stated that Trump's threat to prevent safe passage for any ships paying tolls to Iran would also have little effect due to the fact that any company doing so would already be subject to
sanctions for paying the regime. Most shipping companies will continue to wait and see whether there was a tentative peace agreement and whether that might hold, Jensen said. If that happened, shipping might start to ramp up slowly again.
Source: BBC
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