The US military said in an advisory to merchant ships on Monday that the US blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect “pending execution” of a ceasefire deal between the US and Iran, The Hill has reported, a notice that contradicts President Trump’s declaration that the blockade has been lifted.
The MOU will be officially signed on Friday to begin nuclear negotiations, but the end of the US blockade and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz were supposed to take effect immediately. Iranian media reported on Monday that several ships had made it to Iranian ports and that the blockade had been officially lifted, but the US military’s advisory suggested there was still a threat to commercial ships entering and leaving Iranian ports.
“A military blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect, restricting all traffic inbound and outbound from these ports. Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given,” the notice said, according to Reuters.
The notice told ship captains to consider “the health and safety of their crews,” warning that failure to comply with US orders “may result in rapid escalation to disabling or destructive fire.” The US bombed at least nine civilian commercial ships in its enforcement of the blockade since April, and one attack last week killed three Indian mariners.
Also on Monday, US officials told reporters that the US would maintain its current military posture in the Middle East and suggested it won’t pull any troops out of the region until some sort of nuclear deal is reached.
“We want to see again the Iranians do what they promise they’re going to tell us that they’re going to do, and the agreement contemplates the reduction of military forces in the region upon the agreement of a final deal, which again is the agreement that we assume we can make, so long as the Iranians make some concessions and give up some of their activities and some of their nuclear program,” a senior Trump official said.
