TEHRAN, April 13 — Iran’s military said a US naval blockade set to begin today would be illegal and amount to piracy, warning that no Gulf ports would be safe if its own were threatened.

“The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy,” said a statement issued by the Iranian military’s central command centre, Khatam Al-Anbiya, that was read on state television.

“If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ports in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe,” it added. — AFP