On Thursday, April 16th, the Pentagon held a press conference on the Iran situation, with a focus on the US military blockade of Iranian ports and related ships. General Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the US blockade on Iran as driving a sports car through a supermarket parking lot.
President Trump has ordered the US military to implement a blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, April 13th. Currently, the US blockade in Iranian ports and coastal areas is being carried out in the waters of the Arabian Gulf, with a dozen warships enforcing the blockade.
At the press conference held early Thursday at the Pentagon, Kane used a map marked with red and blue ships to explain the implementation of the blockade to reporters.
When a ship that has visited Iranian ports attempts to cross the imaginary line extending from the coast of Oman to the Iran-Pakistan border, US warships quickly approach and issue warnings via radio, informing these ships that if they attempt to break the blockade, they will be intercepted and detained by US forces boarding the vessel.
Kane stated that the US Navy and Air Force are moving rapidly to intercept ships approaching Iranian waters and apply “visible military pressure.”
“These captains can truly feel the pressure around them,” explained Kane.
He reported that so far, 13 ships have turned back, with most turning within the blockade line, and only one ship making a redirection before reaching the blockade line.
“As of this morning, US Central Command has not requested boarding inspections of any specific ship,” Kane said.
Missile destroyers are primarily executing tasks on the front lines of the blockade operation, with Kane likening these warships to Navy sports cars for their ability to maneuver through congested waterways.
“It’s like driving a sports car through a crowded supermarket parking lot on payday weekend, trying to approach that ship attempting to break the blockade,” Kane said.
He added that any ship attempting to cross the US blockade line may face escalation measures, including a range of escalating military options, possibly including warning shots.
Kane stated that the US military is also conducting similar maritime interception operations in other regions, including the Pacific, targeting ships suspected of supporting Iran.
War Secretary Haguese also spoke at the same press conference, stating that the US is currently using less than 10% of its naval forces to enforce the blockade. He added that Iran has virtually no operational naval forces in the region.
Haguese mentioned that the US prefers to resolve issues through diplomacy but warned that if negotiations fail, the situation will escalate.
“We’d rather not have to do that, but we are ready to follow the President’s orders with just a push of the button,” he stated.
“We will maintain the blockade until we achieve our objectives,” he added.