Middle East war live: Iran threatens to disrupt Gulf trade in response to US naval blockade

Live Middle East Issued on: 16/04/2026 - 04:16Modified: 16/04/2026 - 04:31 By: / / A cargo ship is pictured off coast city of Fujairah, in the Strait of Hormuz in the northern Emirate on February 25, 2026 © Giuseppe Cacace, AFP archives The leader of Iran’s joint military command threatened Wednesday to halt trade in the Gulf region if the US does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Even so, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was “very close to over” in an interview that aired Wednesday. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. Yesterday's key developments: The United States on Wednesday threatened to sanction buyers of Iranian oil and ​said it believed ‌China would pause such purchases as Washington enforces a maritime blockade on ⁠Iran. US President Donald Trump would "welcome" an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but such an agreement is not part of peace talks with Iran, a senior US administration official said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country's top priority was to secure the "dismantling" of Hezbollah in its first direct talks with Lebanon in decades. (FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters) Keywords for this article