US military poised to blockade all Iranian ports - Taipei Times

The US military yesterday vowed to blockade all Iranian ports, part of efforts to force Tehran into agreeing to open the Strait of Hormuz and accepting a peace deal. Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at US-allied nations.

That set the stage for an extraordinary showdown that contains serious risks for the global economy and raises the specter that a ceasefire that is currently holding could collapse and the war could resume. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict finished without an agreement this weekend and there has been no word on whether negotiations would resume.

Iran's effective closure of the strait, through which 20 percent of traded oil passes in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East. Tehran has allowed some ships perceived as friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to accusations it is holding the global economy hostage.

Photo: AP

Some analysts are doubtful that the US can restore normal shipping through force alone — and it was not clear how a blockade would work or what the dangers might be to US forces. The question is who can endure the most pain: Could a blockade make Iran's economic situation untenable and force it to concede? Or would it drive global oil and other prices so high that US President Donald Trump is forced to back down.

The US military's Central Command announced that from 1400 GMT the blockade would be enforced "against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas."

Photo: AP