WASHINGTON, April 16- The U.S. troops deployed around the world “will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” said a top U.S. general on Thursday.
The U.S. Navy has announced a blockade on all vessels heading to or departing from Iranian ports, starting on Monday, following the weekend U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad that yielded no agreement.
The blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, sailing to or from Iranian ports, and extends to vessels subject to U.S. sanctions or carrying suspected contraband, said Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine at a Pentagon press briefing.
“If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force,” Caine warned. The general said the U.S. military so far “has not been required to board any ships” as 13 ships have been turned around by the U.S. blockade.
“The U.S. action is a blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline, not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,” he stressed, noting that the blockade is being enforced in the waters around Iran as well as international waters.
Over 10,000 U.S. sailors, Marines and airmen, supported by 12 warships and dozens of aircraft, are involved in enforcing the blockade, Caine said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is “very close to being over,” while again failing to offer a clear timeline. The two-week ceasefire is to expire next week, with a possible extension on the negotiating table. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
