ISLAMABAD: Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a "grave violation" of its sovereignty, while Washington and Tehran's belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce.
"The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP.
The "unlawful" blockade also "constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea," Iravani added.
US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf on Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed.
US CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper released an update on the blockade on Wednesday in a post on X. Cooper said that the blockade of Iranian ports had been fully implemented, as they account for 90% of the country's economy.
He said that US Navy guided-missile destroyers with crews of over 300 sailors are enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports, targeting all vessels entering or leaving Iranian coastal areas regardless of nationality.
A US official confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday that two oil tankers from an Iranian port were intercepted and turned back by a US Naval destroyer. He further said that more than 20 other ships not from Iranian ports had transited safely through the strait.
Guterres on Monday called on "all parties" to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway.
The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations.
Iravani said the "unlawful blockade poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region."
In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to "cease their internationally wrongful acts."
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay "compensation for all material and moral damage sustained," he said.
