Iran president says US naval blockade 'doomed to fail'

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has said a US naval blockade of Iranian ports would deepen disruptions in the Gulf and fail to achieve its objectives.

"Any attempt to impose a maritime blockade or restrictions is contrary to international law... and is doomed to fail," Mr Pezeshkian said in a statement.

He added that such measures would "not only fail to enhance regional security, but are in fact a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf".

The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran's ports and coasts on 13 April, days after a ceasefire paused its war with Iran.

Iran's military has kept shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for global oil and gas shipments, and recently threatened to "respond" if the US blockade continued.

On Wednesday, the military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei reiterated the warning, without elaborating.

"We will not tolerate the naval blockade. If it continues, Iran will respond," Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who was named as a military adviser by Khamenei in March told state TV.

He also warned against a new round of fighting between the US and Iran, saying it could possibly see US ships sunk and "its soldiers will be killed".

"If the US starts another war, it should expect that we take a large number of them prisoner," he added.

Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said the US "will not gain any results" from its blockade, dismissing any concerns over oil supply and distribution.

"Oil industry employees are working around the clock to ensure that there is no problem in providing services," he told state TV.

Also on Wednesday, Iran's army navy commander Shahram Irani signalled that Iran will deploy "in the very near future" naval weaponry which it has recently developed.

Meanwhile, Iran's new Supreme Leader has said in a published written message that a new chapter for the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz has been taking shape since the Iran war with the United States and Israel broke out on 28 February.

Mojtaba Khamenei said that Tehran would secure the Gulf region and eliminate what he described as "the enemy's abuses of the waterway".

The Supreme Leader added that new management of the Strait of Hormuz would bring progress and economic benefits to all Gulf nations.

Iran threatens painful response if US resumes attacks

Iran has said that if Washington renewed attacks it would respond with "long and painful strikes" on US positions, complicating US plans for an international coalition to open the ⁠Strait of Hormuz.

Efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse, with a ceasefire in place since 8 April but Iran still blocking the strait in response to the US naval blockade of Iran's oil exports, the country's economic lifeline.

US President Donald Trump is due to receive a briefing on plans for a series of fresh military strikes on Iran in hopes of making Iran more flexible on nuclear issues in negotiations, Axios news site reported late on Wednesday.

That spurred big gains in oil prices, with the benchmark Brent crude contract hitting more than $126 a barrel at one point, its highest level since March 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It later slipped back to $113 a barrel.

Any US attack on Iran, even if limited, will usher in "long and painful strikes" on US regional positions, a senior Revolutionary Guards official said.