War Breaking News. Iran, Chinese Tanker Crosses Strait Of Hormuz Despite US Blockade. New Talks In Islamabad

Mission of ‘non-belligerent’ countries on Hormuz, conference on Friday in Paris

A conference will take place on Friday in Paris between the ‘non-belligerent countries’ volunteering for a mission over the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Elysée announced.

Sanchez, China can play important role in ending US-Iran war

Il presidente cinese Xi Jinping e il primo ministro spagnolo Pedro Sánchez si stringono la mano alla Grande Sala del Popolo a Pechino, in Cina, il 14 aprile 2026. Governo spagnolo/Foto fornita tramite REUTERS QUESTA IMMAGINE È STATA FORNITA DA UNA TERZA PARTE via REUTERS

“It is very difficult to meet other interlocutors who can unravel this situation provoked in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz more than China, so I think China can play an important role in finding a diplomatic way for the war to end, contributing to stability and peace”. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said this at a press conference in Beijing after meeting President Xi Jinping. “We do not support this war, but businesses, families, Spain, the EU and the world are already noticing its consequences, and therefore, any effort that all nations can make, especially those that have an interlocutor and have not actively participated in this illegal war, is welcome and necessary,” the socialist leader added.

Hormuz, this is how Trump’s blockade works

The naval blockade with which the US began yesterday to interdict maritime traffic to and from Iran does not, at least for now, coincide with a total closure of the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump’s political announcement spoke of ships trying to enter or leave the strait, but the operational wording of the US Central Command (CentCom) is more circumscribed: the blockade concerns “all maritime traffic” entering or leaving Iranian ports, on the coasts of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, while passage to non-Iranian ports remains formally permitted.

This means that Washington, rather than sealing off all movement inside Hormuz, is trying to turn the maritime bottleneck into a military filter. The aim is to separate ‘neutral’ traffic from traffic connected to Iranian terminals, thus depriving Tehran of the possibility to export oil and refined products normally. According to the Reuters news agency, the blockade can take about 2 million barrels per day of Iranian crude oil and derivatives off the market, but without theoretically stopping ships bound for the Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, or other Gulf ports.

On a practical level, the mechanism is the classic one of a naval interdiction: US surface units, most likely destroyers and other warships, monitor the access routes; drones and sensors follow the outgoing and incoming movements; once a ‘contact of interest’ is detected, the ship is radioed and questioned about its port of origin, destination, cargo and crew composition. It can then be invited to accept a boarding party. If it cooperates, it must slow down, correct its course and allow inspection by fast boats or, in more delicate cases, by helicopters and rapid descent on deck with ropes. If it does not cooperate, it goes from surveillance to coercion: interception, diversion, seizure.

This, however, requires effective operational capacity, which is difficult and costly. A naval blockade does not live on announcements, but on the continuous ability to actually stop ships. International law also describes it this way: according to the ‘San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea’ it must be declared, notified, legally enforced and be effective, i.e. backed by sufficient forces. A ‘paper blockade’, a proclamation without adequate means, is not enough. This is why Reuters, citing experts and former Pentagon and US Navy officials, speaks of an expensive and potentially long lasting military undertaking.

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