Iranian FM: US 'blockade' of Iran's ports, coastlines 'unlawful and criminal'

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the US so-called "blockade" of Iran's ports and coastlines violated the ceasefire, calling it "unlawful and criminal."

"The United States so-called 'blockade' of Iran's ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal. It violates Article 2(4) of the UN Charter; it constitutes an act of aggression under Article 3(c) of the UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974), which explicitly includes the blockade of a state's ports or coasts among such acts...it amounts to a war crime and crime against humanity," Baghaei said in a post on X on Sunday.

Earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Saturday that the country's navy is ready to inflict "new bitter defeats" on the United States and Israel.

He made the remarks in a message on Iran's Army Day, which falls on April 18, while praising the Iranian army for its fight against the "enemies."

The Chief Commander of the Iranian Army, Amir Hatami, responded that the army personnel would resist the enemy to the death, fighting until the "last drop of blood" was shed, to secure victory for Iran, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting agency on Sunday. Hatami added that the troops would face the enemy head-on, weapons in hand, awaiting orders and ready to lay down their lives.

(With input from agencies)