A naval blockade on Iran, ordered by United States President Donald Trump, has begun, setting the stage for a major escalation that could fray the fragile ceasefire between the two countries.

Trump warned Iranian military ships on Monday from approaching the blockade zone.

“Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we did not consider them much of a threat,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.”

The blockade, which Trump announced on Sunday after US and Iranian negotiators failed to reach a deal after a round of talks in Pakistan, came into effect on Monday at 10am in Washington, DC (14:00 GMT).

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre announced earlier that it had been notified that the US blockade will apply “without distinction” to ships engaging with Iranian ports and oil terminals.

“The restrictions encompass the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including the ports and energy infrastructure,” UKMTO, which is affiliated with the British Royal Navy, said in an advisory.

More to come…