How will the US implement its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz?.. Video

United States President Donald Trump threatens Iranian ships, saying they will be “eliminated” if they “come anywhere close to our blockade”.

The start of the US military’s blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports has now begun, according to the deadline it set.

Iran’s armed forces say that US’s “imposition of restrictions on the movement of vessels in international waters is an illegal act and amounts to piracy“.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says talks with the US in Pakistan failed because of Washington’s “maximalism, shifting goalposts and blockade”.

Israel’s military continues to bombard south Lebanon, with the country’s health ministry saying that at least 2,089 people have been killed in attacks since March 2.

How will the US implement its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz?

We’ve spoken to Salvatore Mercogliano, maritime historian at Campbell University in North Carolina, about how the US could effectively implement a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mercogliano said he expected the US Navy to turn around ships that come out of the Strait while keeping at a distance from the range of Iran’s missiles and drones.

He added that CENTCOM specified that the blockade would exclude ships that departed from non-Iranian ports, as well as humanitarian vessels.

According to Mercogliano, the US has been reinforcing its naval forces and now has enough assets in place to operate a blockade.

What may end up happening is that Iran and the US enforce “two competing blockades.” “This has the potential to freeze shipping in and out the Strait of Hormuz entirely,” he said.

World Opinion + Agencies