Iran’s military has threatened to shut down shipping operations in the Red Sea as well as the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman if the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.

Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of Iran’s armed forces, described the blockade as “illegal” and said that if it continued it would be considered a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Abdollahi said Iran “would not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea under such conditions,” state-run Tasnim reported.

Iran does not border the Red Sea but holds influence in the area through regional allies, namely the Houthis in Yemen who have previously targeted vessels there.

Remember: US Central Command said Wednesday that the United States’ blockade of Iranian ports has been “fully implemented” and put a halt to most of Tehran’s economic activity in just a day and a half.

But some commercial traffic is still getting through the vital Strait of Hormuz as the blockade does not apply to the strait itself.