April 13: Iran pushes back as US blockade threat undermines fragile ceasefire

By Press TV Website Staff

On Monday, April 13, the fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington came under renewed strain after US President Donald Trump announced a so-called "naval blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a swift and firm response from Iran.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned that any US military vessel approaching the strategic waterway would be treated as a violation of the truce and met with decisive action, asserting full Iranian control over the strait.

Tehran dismissed Washington's claims of military success in the Persian Gulf, while senior officials emphasized that Iran had not yet deployed its full defensive capabilities during the recent US-Israeli war of aggression.

As tensions escalated, Iran's foreign ministry condemned the blockade as a threat to global economic stability.

The developments triggered immediate global repercussions as oil prices surged above $100 per barrel, and Asian markets fell sharply.

Amid the growing uncertainty, calls for de-escalation grew internationally, even as Tehran maintained that any future negotiations must proceed on terms that respect its sovereignty and the realities established on the ground.

Key developments on day 45 of the war, fifth day of the ceasefire:

• After Trump announced a "blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the IRGC warned that any military vessel approaching the strait would be considered a ceasefire violation and dealt with “harshly and decisively.”
• IRGC declared Iran has full control over the Strait of Hormuz and that any enemy “wrong move” would trap them in a “deadly vortex.”
• Iran’s navy chief Shahram Irani called Trump’s threat “ridiculous and funny.”
• The Iranian foreign ministry condemned the US attempt to impose a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, questioning whether a “revenge of choice” against the global economy can be an option to win an unlawful “war of choice.”
• Trump claimed that the US had “obliterated” 158 Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf and that the Iranian navy is “lying at the bottom of the sea.”
• Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Islamabad talks, said Iran would not give in: “If they fight, we will fight; if they come with logic, we will deal with logic,” he wrote on X.
• Ghalibaf posted a map of Washington-area gasoline prices, writing: “Enjoy the current pump figures… Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.”
• The IRGC warned that the armed forces did not use their full capacity in the reprisal missile and drone attacks against the US and Israel, and will unveil new capabilities that are far beyond the enemy’s imagination in the event of renewed aggression.
• Iran's foreign ministry said Washington’s “excessive demands” hampered an agreement during the negotiations in Pakistan aimed at a conclusive end to the US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic.
• President Masoud Pezeshkian said the enemies’ dream of forcing Iran to collapse did not come true as the Iranian nation displayed great “resistance and perseverance” during the imposed war.  
• The president reiterated that Iran will continue all negotiations exclusively within the framework of international law and regulations.
• Mohsen Rezaee, advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and member of the Expediency Council of Iran, warned that the US plan is “doomed to failure” and said Iran has “untapped leverage.”
• The United States’ NATO allies refused to take part in Trump’s plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
• China called for an immediate end to US-led hostilities as the only viable path to resolving tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the Lebanese Islamic resistance will firmly confront the ongoing Israeli-American aggression against the Arab country and demanded immediate implementation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.
• Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy” after the Pope urged an end to the war.
• Trump claimed he does not care whether Iran returns for another round of negotiations in Islamabad.
• Asian stock markets opened lower after Islamabad peace talks failed, and Trump ordered a naval blockade.
• Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.84 percent, while the Topix slipped 0.42 percent. South Korea’s Kospi was 1.83 percent lower.
• Oil prices surged above $100 a barrel.
• Lloyd’s List reported that shipping, already reduced, halted immediately in the Strait of Hormuz, with vessels turning back after Trump’s announcement.
• Trade activity through the newly launched Pakistan-Iran transit corridor started, marked by the dispatch of the first export consignment from Pakistan.
• Pro-resistance hacker group Handala said that it has penetrated the computer systems of two giant steel-making companies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, causing complete disruption to their operations.

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