TEHRAN — Iran’s military said a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz set to begin on Monday were illegal and amounted to piracy. “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 Khatam Al-Anbiya, the Iranian military’s central command center. The statement, read on state television, said Iran would decisively implement a “permanent mechanism” to control the Strait following US threats. It added that Gulf ports must be accessible to all or none, adding that no port in the Gulf or Gulf of Oman would remain secure if Iranian ports were endangered. “Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after marathon talks with Washington collapsed, as Tehran reacted sharply to a US plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a move that threatens to upend a fragile ceasefire and escalate the conflict. Araghchi said Iran had negotiated in good faith but encountered “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade” just inches from sealing an “Islamabad MoU,” adding: “Zero lessons earned.” His remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would begin blockading maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports following the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad — the first direct US-Iran engagement in more than a decade. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war and was not supporting a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Starmer said it was vital to get the Strait reopened. “It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that’s where we’ve put all of our efforts in the last few and we’ll continue to do so,” Starmer said. China urged calm and restraint on all sides, a spokesperson for its foreign ministry said on Monday, when asked about US President Donald Trump’s threat to launch a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after talks with Iran failed. Keeping the key waterway safe, stable and unimpeded serves the common interest of the international community, the spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, told a regular press conference. China stands ready to work with all sides to safeguard energy security and supply, he said. The US Central Command said the blockade would take effect at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Monday and would be enforced against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. It added that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for non-Iranian-bound vessels would not be impeded. Trump, writing on social media, said Washington would target any vessel paying what he described as an “illegal toll” to Iran and would begin clearing mines allegedly laid by Iranian forces in the strategic waterway, through which roughly 20 percent of global energy supplies pass. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump said, warning that any Iranian attack on US or commercial vessels would be met with overwhelming force. Iran’s response was swift. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any military vessels approaching the Strait would be treated as a breach of the ceasefire and dealt with “harshly and decisively,” underscoring the risk of further escalation. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf dismissed Trump’s threats, saying they would have no effect on Tehran’s position. “If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic,” Qalibaf said in remarks carried by state media. The talks in Islamabad followed a ceasefire announced earlier in the week after six weeks of fighting that has killed thousands, rattled global markets and driven oil prices above $100 per barrel. The Strait of Hormuz has remained a central flashpoint, with Iran previously restricting traffic through the narrow shipping lane. Despite the breakdown, Trump signaled that diplomacy may continue, describing the talks as “very friendly” and saying he believed Iran would return to the negotiating table. “I do believe they’re going to come to the table on this,” he said in an interview with Fox News. A US official said key sticking points included Washington’s demand for a complete halt to uranium enrichment, dismantling of enrichment facilities and the transfer of highly enriched uranium, as well as ending Iranian support for regional groups and ensuring full access to the Strait. Qalibaf, however, blamed Washington for the impasse, saying Iran had put forward “forward-looking initiatives” but had failed to gain US trust. President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated that Tehran seeks a “balanced and fair agreement.” “If the United States returns to the framework of international law, reaching an agreement is not far off,” he said, according to state media. Iranian outlets, including the semi-official Tasnim news agency, said “excessive” US demands had hindered progress, though some issues were reportedly agreed upon, with the Strait and Tehran’s nuclear program remaining the main obstacles. — Agencies
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