Hours before the maritime blockade declared by the United States on Iran’s ports is set to take effect, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, expressed hope today (Monday) that negotiations between the sides could resume before the situation escalates further.
In an interview with Geo News, the minister said that the round of talks held over the weekend was “good," and assessed that “there is still a chance for another initiative of contacts" between Washington and Tehran.
Despite the optimistic tone coming from Islamabad, the U.S. military is preparing to implement the decision on the ground. Overnight, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it will begin blocking all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iran’s ports starting at 5:00 p.m. (Israel time).
According to CENTCOM’s statement, the blockade will be enforced comprehensively on vessels from all countries, including all Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The United States emphasized that the move is targeted and does not include blocking international shipping routes for other countries.
The statement stressed that the blockade will not affect the freedom of navigation for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz en route to or from non-Iranian ports.