The United States has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz since Monday at 4:00 p.m. to prevent the navigation of boats “entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas.” In this context, Americans have significant air-naval resources.
What was just a vague threat outlined by Donald Trump on social media on Sunday has finally materialized. This Monday, April 13, since 4:00 p.m. (Paris time), the United States has initiated a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump threatened on Truth Social to “eliminate” Iranian ships that “approach even a little bit of (their) blockade.” “They will be immediately ELIMINATED, with the same elimination system that we use against drug traffickers at sea. It‘s fast and brutal,” he declared.
The use of the blockade weapon, following the failure of peace talks this weekend between Washington and Tehran, aims to further suffocate the Iranian economy. Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, Iran, wielding the threat of drones and other missiles, has narrowed this artery through which a fifth of global oil normally transits. However, it continues to use this passage to sell its hydrocarbons.
“The Iranians have continued to export their oil, especially to China, but also to other countries like India or Pakistan,” notes researcher and journalist Romain Mielcarek to BFMTV. “If (the Americans) completely shut off this flow, it means that the Chinese, Pakistanis, Indians can no longer access it, so they will seek oil elsewhere.”
Context: The United States has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iranian boats from entering or leaving ports and coastal areas.
Fact Check: Donald Trump threatened to “eliminate” Iranian ships that approach their blockade, using a swift and harsh elimination system similar to that used against drug traffickers at sea.
