War in the Middle East: Donald Trump threatens to immediately eliminate Iranian ships approaching…

At the end of the failed negotiations in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, the American army had indicated that a blockade of Iranian ports would be put in place from 4:00 p.m. this Monday.

As the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz came into effect this Monday, April 13 at 4:00 p.m. Paris time, Donald Trump threatened shortly after on Truth Social to “eliminate” Iranian ships that “approach even a little closer to (their) blockade.”

Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade on Sunday, set for this Monday at 4:00 p.m., after the failure of direct talks between the two countries in Pakistan.

The blockade targets ships “entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas,” a prospect that has sparked rises in oil prices and particularly concerns China.

Iran denounces an “illegal” act

Iran has denounced an “illegal” act, calling it “piracy,” and threatened retaliations against its Gulf neighbors, already targeted by Iranian strikes during the war triggered by the Israeli-American offensive on Iran at the end of February.

“If the security of the ports of the Islamic Republic (…) is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be secure,” warned the Iranian military command.

After a period of calm in the last few days, the price of a barrel of oil started the week above the symbolic $100 mark.

“One can assume that Trump’s intention is to try to deprive Iran of its export revenues and to pressure its main oil importers, particularly China, to put pressure on Tehran to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,” analyzed the Soufan Center from New York.

Since the beginning of the war, Tehran has blocked the strait and de facto established rights of passage that it intends to maintain.

China, which heavily depends on Iran for its oil supply, has called for the restoration of “unimpeded” navigation in this strategic passage for global trade, especially for hydrocarbons. Turkey has also demanded its reopening “as soon as possible.”