The US military has warned that ships entering or exiting a maritime blockade in the Gulf of Oman “without permission” will be “subject to interception, diversion, and capture”.

The US Central Command, tasked for operations in West Asia, has enforced a blockade in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz from 7:30 pm IST on Monday.

The note to mariners issued on Monday night said: “Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area ⁠without authorisation is subject to interception, diversion, and capture.”

These access restrictions apply without distinction to vessels of any flag engaging with Iranian ports, oil terminals, or coastal facilities, it said.

However, the US clarified that the blockade “will not ⁠impede neutral transit passage through the Strait ⁠of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations in the Persian Gulf.”

Iran has also threatened that their fast missile boats, named the ‘Red bees of the Persian Gulf’, are warming up. “Now they’re (US) about to find out how a swarm can pin you down real quick,” an Iranian statement said. – Ajay Banerjee

Vance says Iranians made some progress’ in talks on nuclear issues

April 14, 2026 8:37 am

Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with FOX News Channel’s “Special Report” that negotiations “did make some progress” in the Islamabad talks on the US insistence on the removal of nuclear material from Iran as well as a mechanism to ensure uranium cannot be enriched in the future. “They moved in our direction,” Vance said in the interview. He said he thought Iranian negotiators were “unable to cut a deal” and needed to get approval from others in Tehran. Vance also said that US negotiators made clear that Trump “would be very happy if Iran was treated like a normal country, if it had a normal economy,” but he did not go into details about what he meant. “There really is, I think, a grand deal to be had here. But, it’s up to the Iranians, I think, to take the next step,” Vance said.