Iran vows "decisive response" if US continues its "blockade, piracy, maritime robbery" in Gulf

Tehran [Iran], April 25 (ANI): Iran on Saturday issued a strong warning to the United States, vowing a "decisive response" if Washington continues what it described as "blockade, piracy, and maritime robbery" in the Gulf region, particularly over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian State Media Press TV reported.
According to Press TV, the statement was issued by Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's highest operational military command responsible for coordinating between the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
In its warning, the headquarters said the US would face consequences if it persisted with its actions in regional waters.
"Should the aggressor US military persist in blockade, piracy, and maritime robbery in the region, it can be certain that it will face a decisive response from Iran's powerful armed forces," the statement read, as quoted by Press TV.
It further claimed that Iran's armed forces are currently at a higher level of readiness and deterrence capability than ever before, asserting preparedness to defend national sovereignty and strategic interests.
"The United States must recognise that the armed forces of the Iran possess greater authority and readiness than ever before to defend national sovereignty, territory, and interests," the statement added.
The headquarters further said Iranian forces are closely monitoring regional movements, including activities in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which remains a critical global energy transit route.
"We remain prepared and resolved to monitor enemy movements and transit in the region, maintain management and control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and, in the event of any renewed aggression by American-Zionist enemies, inflict even more severe losses upon them," it said.
The remarks come in response to the continuous US blockade of Iranian ports and the overall presence of its navy in the Strait.
According to the US Central Command, its navy has enforcement operations under the blockade of Iranian ports, and the Strait of Hormuz remains ongoing, with multiple vessels being redirected.
According to a post by the US CENTCOM on X, US forces have reportedly turned back or redirected at least 34 vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports.
The military has said that its guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) enforced a blockade on an Iranian-flagged vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port as part of the ongoing maritime blockade in the region. The incident took place on April 24.
Meanwhile, in yet another major diplomatic embarrassment for the politically volatile nation, Pakistan's desperate attempt to project itself as a relevant regional peacemaker is seen to be collapsing spectacularly.
Prospects of high-stakes peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad are "rapidly fading", exposing the host nation's diplomatic impotence as Tehran refuses to meet the travelling American delegation, as per Kamran Khan, chairman of Pakistan-based news outlet ARY News.
Despite going to extreme lengths to orchestrate high-profile diplomatic arrangements, the Pakistani establishment has been entirely sidelined by the actual stakeholders, reducing Islamabad to a mere spectator in its own capital.
The Pakistani government has also paralysed its own capital, with authorities imposing a draconian and "suffocating security lockdown" and placing the high-security Red Zone under a strict cordon.
According to Khan, citing informed sources, Tehran is "still not ready to meet the U.S. delegation", which includes US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser and son-in-law of US President Donald, Jared Kushner.
Iran has effectively bypassed its Pakistani hosts, issuing demands directly to Washington. Tehran's precondition--that the US Navy must first lift its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports. (ANI)