Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that the United States naval blockade of Iranian ports is destined to fail, as Tehran’s military and government officials intensified their rhetoric and warnings on Thursday against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire.
Pezeshkian said in a statement that the blockade would deepen disruptions in the Gulf rather than enhance regional security. “Any attempt to impose a maritime blockade or restrictions is contrary to international law and is doomed to fail,” he said, adding that such measures are “a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf.”
Pezeshkian made the remarks to mark Persian Gulf National Day, which falls on April 30, accusing the United States of shifting its pressure against Iran to the economic and maritime domains.
The United States imposed the naval blockade on April 13, 2026, after post-ceasefire negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, collapsed. The blockade applies to all ships seeking to reach Iranian ports and coastlines. The ceasefire itself followed 40 days of fighting that began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched joint airstrikes on Iran, during which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was subsequently appointed as his successor.
Iran’s Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) normally passes, remains effectively closed to most commercial traffic. The closure has sent energy prices skyrocketing around the world.
Military warnings from Tehran sharpened on Wednesday. Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was appointed as a military adviser by the new Supreme Leader in March, warned on state television that a new round of fighting could result in US ships being sunk and soldiers killed. “If the US starts another war, it should expect that we take a large number of them prisoner,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, Iran’s army navy commander Shahram Irani signalled that the country intends to deploy newly developed naval weaponry in the “very near future.”
Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad dismissed concerns about the blockade’s domestic impact, saying the US “will not gain any results” from the strategy and that oil industry employees are working around the clock to maintain services.
On the same day Pezeshkian spoke, the United States announced a new diplomatic initiative. Washington said it would launch a “Maritime Freedom Construct,” a coalition effort with the State Department and US Central Command (CENTCOM) to provide real-time information, safety guidance and coordination to vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides remain deadlocked over nuclear enrichment and the future of the waterway.
