Iran military warns no Gulf ports will be safe if Hormuz is threatened

Iran's military said a US naval blockade set to begin on Monday would be illegal and amount to piracy, warning that no Gulf ports would be safe if its own were threatened.

"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy," said a statement issued by the Iranian military's central command centre, Khatam Al-Anbiya, that was read on state television.

"If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran's ports in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe," it added.

Iran's navy chief Shahram Irani has called US President Donald Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz "ridiculous", after marathon talks between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan failed to deliver a deal to end the Middle East war.

"The brave men of the naval force of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran are monitoring and supervising all the movements of the aggressive American army in the region. The threats of the US president to blockade Iran at sea... are very ridiculous and funny," he said on Sunday, according to state TV.

Earlier, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said after Trump's announcement that Iranian security forces had full control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned enemies would be trapped in a "deadly vortex" in case of any "wrong move".

Iran's navy chief Shahram Irani called Trump's threat "ridiculous and funny," according to state TV, adding the country's military is "monitoring and supervising all the movements of the aggressive American army in the region."

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said Sunday he does not care if Iran comes back to negotiations with the United States after talks in Pakistan failed to produce a deal.

"I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I'm fine," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, upon his return from Florida.

US President Donald Trump says he 'doesn't care' if Iran comes back to ceasefire talks as the US military prepares to blockade all maritime traffic heading to and from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz. He reiterated the US stance 'Iran will never have a nuclear weapon'. pic.twitter.com/gj1yKqRdwn

— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) April 13, 2026

Blockade of Iranian ports

The US military said Sunday it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports within hours, after peace talks in Pakistan collapsed with Washington blaming the Islamic republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

The announcement came despite a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday aimed at pausing the six-week war until April 22, with tensions centered on whether the United States can force Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, another of its key demands in the stalled negotiations.

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," US Central Command said in a statement, adding that it would begin at 1400 GMT on Monday.

The statement said US forces would not impede vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, and that further instructions for mariners would be forthcoming.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards had earlier warned they had full control of traffic through Hormuz and would trap any challenger "in a deadly vortex."

In a lengthy social media post, US president Donald Trump said his goal was to clear the strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping, but that Iran must not be allowed to profit from controlling the waterway.

"Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said. "Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!"

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation in Pakistan, said on returning home that the country would "not bow to any threats" from Washington, while navy chief Shahram Irani called Trump's blockade threat "ridiculous."

Tehran has already been restricting traffic through the strait -- a key route for global oil and gas shipments -- while allowing some vessels serving friendly countries such as China to pass. There have been unconfirmed reports it plans to charge tolls.

The US military said Saturday that two Navy warships had transited through the strait to begin clearing it of mines and ensure it was a "safe pathway" for tankers, a claim Tehran denied.

Iran's Fars news agency reported Sunday that two Pakistani-flagged oil tankers bound for the strait had turned back.

Israeli strikes kill infant girl in southern Lebanon.

LIVE updates: https://t.co/bh8D44RiIh pic.twitter.com/LIxx7xLgrP

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 13, 2026

- 'Final and best offer' -
The collapse of the talks rattled an already tense region and raised fears of renewed fighting.

In a later Fox News interview, Trump again threatened Iran's energy infrastructure and warned he would impose a 50-percent tariff on Chinese imports if Beijing tried to help Iran's military.

The US blockade appeared to be triggered by the failure of talks in Islamabad on ending the war.

The US delegation -- led by Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner -- was frustrated by Iran's refusal to give up what it called its right to a nuclear program.

"I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!" Trump said.

After the talks -- the highest-level meeting between the sides since the 1979 Islamic revolution -- Vance said Washington had made Tehran its "final and best offer," adding: "We'll see if the Iranians accept it."

Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian, who also attended the negotiations, said on X the excessive US demands included "a joint share with Iran in the benefits of the Strait of Hormuz" as well as the removal of the country's 60-percent enriched uranium.

Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at Sciences Po's Center for International Research, said a US blockade was "not a minor coercive signal" but would rather be considered an effective resumption of the war.

- Lebanon working for Israeli withdrawal -
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war and to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

"We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands, the return of all the prisoners, to rebuild our destroyed villages and towns, and the safe return of the displaced," said Salam.

- Netanyahu says threat of invasion removed -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting troops who invaded southern Lebanon, said Israeli forces had eliminated the threat of an invasion by Hezbollah militants.

"The war continues, including within the security zone in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

- Israeli tank rams UN vehicles -
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said an Israeli tank twice rammed peacekeeping vehicles in the country's south where Israel and Hezbollah have been at war since last month.

Israeli soldiers had also blocked a road in south Lebanon's Bayada "that is used to access UNIFIL positions", it said a statement.

- Lebanon deaths -
Lebanese official media reported extensive Israeli strikes across the country's south as the health ministry said at least five people were killed and the war's overall toll on that front rose to 2,055 dead.

Israel insists the current Middle East ceasefire does not apply to its military operations in Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah.