Russian authorities have condemned what they consider an “illegal” blockade by the United States of the Strait of Hormuz, following warnings from the U.S. military that it will intercept “in international waters” any vessel that has paid Iran to transit the passage. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova characterized these measures as “unilateral.”
“In general, the United States’ measures to establish a maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, whether through the interception of ships or the blocking of Iranian ports, must be considered exclusively unilateral and illegitimate from the perspective of both the UN Charter and international maritime law,” she stated during a press conference, according to the TASS news agency.
The spokesperson also criticized a proposal from the United Kingdom and France, which called for a conference this Friday on the matter. Zakharova dismissed the mission proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron to restore navigation as a “failed project,” despite Paris and London defending the initiative for an international coalition to deploy a peaceful naval mission to monitor the reopening of the strategic passage.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Trump threatens to block Strait of Hormuz (with video)
The United States military confirmed on Wednesday that no ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the first 48 hours following the naval blockade ordered by President Donald Trump.
This measure was imposed after the failure of peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran held last Saturday in Islamabad, Pakistan. The U.S. maintains that the total blockade of Iranian ports is effective and has “completely paralyzed” the maritime trade entering and leaving the country.
