WASHINGTON, April 13 - President Donald Trump warned on Monday that any Iranian "fast-attack" ships that come near a U.S. maritime blockade would be eliminated, and said the United States would not allow Tehran to "extort the world."
Trump told reporters that a U.S. blockade on vessels entering and departing Iran had gone into effect at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday.
Speaking on social media earlier, Trump described Iran's navy as "completely obliterated" during the six-week conflict between the United States and Iran, and added: "What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we did not consider them much of a threat."
In a subsequent warning he wrote: "Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal."
Trump was referring to the campaign of U.S. strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, a series of operations that the article noted has killed at least 110 people.
The president also addressed broader U.S. objectives toward Iran, saying the United States is resolved to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and to recover its fissile material whether or not a diplomatic deal is reached. "If they don't agree, there's no deal. There'll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we're going to get the dust back. We'll get it back. Either we'll get it back from them, or we'll take it," Trump said.
Strategic maritime concerns have intensified as Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, the article reported, attributing the closure to a response to U.S.-Israeli strikes.
While the conventional Iranian navy has been described by the president as largely destroyed, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retains a range of asymmetric maritime options that could disrupt shipping. Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander, was quoted as saying these include fast-attack craft, mini submarines, mines and even jet skis loaded with explosives.
Diplomatic efforts have continued even amid the heightened tensions. After a two-week ceasefire began last week, U.S. and Iranian representatives met in Pakistan over the weekend to seek a settlement to the conflict, but those discussions did not yield an agreement. A U.S. official said on Monday there remained engagement between the parties and "forward motion toward an agreement."
Trump reiterated a hardline stance, saying the United States would not permit what he characterized as Iranian attempts at blackmail. "We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world," he told reporters at the White House.
The unfolding situation combines military pressure at sea, diplomatic talks that have yet to secure a settlement, and direct statements from the U.S. president on the use of force against small Iranian naval assets if they approach the declared blockade. The account also noted U.S. precedent for rapid, lethal action against small maritime targets in counter-narcotics operations.