Iran sends warning on Gulf ports after US threat to block Hormuz

Iran said it would target all ports in and close to the Persian Gulf if its own shipping hubs are threatened, heightening the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz after the US announced plans for a blockade of Tehran-linked vessels.

The security of ports in the region is “either for everyone or for no one,” Iran’s armed forces said in a statement on Monday, according to the state-run IRIB News. The US threat to block the strait would be “an act of piracy,” it said, reiterating plans to permanently control the critical waterway even after the war.

The comments add to a game of brinkmanship over the Hormuz Strait, a major transit point for energy flows that accounts for about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. They signal Iran is ready to restart attacks on ports in Arab Gulf states — if the US follows through on a pledge to block all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian hubs from 10 a.m. New York time on Monday.

Such a move would also lead to more tension between the US and China, which buys almost all of Iran’s oil.

The Strait’s effective shuttering since the start of the war has roiled energy markets and become the focal point of the more than six-week conflict between the US-Israeli alliance and Iran. A two-week ceasefire was agreed on April 7.

Direct talks between the US and Iran over the weekend ended without an agreement, with US President Donald Trump telling reporters on Sunday evening that he didn’t care whether or not Tehran returned to the negotiating table.

He announced the blockade in response to the failure to reach a deal in Pakistan, threatening to resume US military attacks in the event of Iranian resistance. “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” he said.

Oil prices surged alongside natural gas after Trump’s announcement. Brent crude rallied as much as 9.1% to near $104 a barrel on Monday, while European gas futures spiked up to 18%.

Around the world, there’s now a desperate effort among refiners and traders to secure immediately available crude cargoes as physical supplies tighten.

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“Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X, referring to already inflated US gasoline prices.

Ghalibaf led the Iranian delegation during the talks in Islamabad, which broke down over differences over the future of Iran’s nuclear program. US Vice President JD Vance represented Washington.

A blockage of Iranian ships would cut off a financial lifeline for Tehran, which has maintained oil exports at prewar levels and earned millions of dollars extra in the process, given the conflict’s boost to crude prices.

Trump’s blockade could also have a major impact on China, which takes a majority of Tehran’s oil exports and is a key trade partner of the Islamic Republic. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Monday that the move threatens global trade, and called on both sides to “remain calm and exercise restraint.”

Lebanon front 

While the US and Israel have paused the bombing of Iran — and Tehran has in turn stopped firing missiles at Gulf states — Israel has maintained its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah, a Tehran-backed militant group.

On Monday, the Israeli army said it had encircled Bint Jbeil, a hilltop town about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the Israeli border, and that it will begin an attack.

Hezbollah regards Bint Jbeil as one of its main strongholds and gave it the label “the capital of the resistance and liberation.”

Israel’s ongoing offensive in Lebanon — which the Lebanese health ministry says has killed more than 1,700 people — was a bone of contention while the terms of the US-Iran ceasefire were being ironed out. Talks between Israel and the Lebanese government — which has long pledged to disarm Hezbollah without success — are set to take place this week.

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The developments around Hormuz and in Lebanon threaten to prolong and widen a war that has led to thousands of deaths and a global energy supply shock, with fears growing of an inflation crisis.

The two-week ceasefire agreement is set to expire on April 22, if the US blockade doesn’t lead to its collapse before then. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that any military vessels attempting to approach the strait “under any pretext” would be considered a violation of the ceasefire, according to Iranian state TV.

While neither side has committed to a second round of diplomatic talks, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the nations reached an understanding on various issues but disagreements remained “on two or three key points.”

“It was natural that one should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session from the outset,” he said on state television after the talks. “Diplomacy never ends” and Iran will “continue to pursue national interests under all circumstances,” he added.

An American official, who requested anonymity, said on Sunday it was clear to the US team that the Iranian delegation didn’t understand the Trump administration’s main objective, which was to guarantee the Islamic Republic would never obtain a nuclear weapon.

While the US is capable of enforcing a blockade, it would entail substantial costs and risks, Bloomberg Economics’ analysts including Jennifer Welch wrote in a note. US warships would be closer to Iranian drone and missile threats, leading to a dangerous escalation cycle if any of them are hit. The Houthis, who are allied with Iran, may also look to disrupt oil and gas flows in the Red Sea, the Bloomberg Economics’ analysts wrote.

“The risks and costs of a sustained blockade — and potential for pressure from other stakeholders like China — suggest Trump may not follow through or may not sustain a blockade,” they wrote, adding that Beijing may even use its leverage over the US with critical minerals in an effort to pressure Trump.

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