China says Trump blockade is 'dangerous' as Iran-linked ships transit the Strait of Hormuz

HONG KONG - China has been a quiet — if crucial — player in the Iran war, as U.S. military action upends the global economy.

That changed Tuesday, as Beijing assailed the American blockade of Iranian ports as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while leader Xi Jinping warned against a return to the “law of the jungle.”

This public intervention was its most significant to date as China, which has close ties with Iran, faces growing pressure to use its influence to bring an end to the war.

Some of that pressure is coming from the U.S. military's blockade, which has alarmed the world’s largest importer of crude oil.

More than half of China's energy comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

“Such actions will only intensify contradictions, exacerbate tensions, undermine the already fragile ceasefire, and further jeopardize the security of navigation through the strait,” Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters Tuesday of the U.S. blockade. “This is dangerous and irresponsible behavior.”

China has been critical of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran as well as Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. President Donald Trump was among those who cited Beijing as being key in bringing Tehran to the table for the ceasefire agreement with Washington.

But Xi himself had not made substantial comments until Tuesday, when he said the international rule of law “must be safeguarded.”

Very few Chinese ships appear to be transiting the Strait of Hormuz, however, with traffic virtually at a standstill.

U.S. military turned back 6 ships in first 24 hours of blockade

During the first 24 hours of its blockade of Iranian ports, the U.S. military warned six ships to stop and turn around because they were violating the terms of the blockade, and all six turned around, according to a U.S. official.

Five of the ships were carrying oil, and two were turned around in the first two hours of the blockade, the official said. No shots have been fired and no ships have been boarded at this point. The U.S. also does not have any significant reports of Iranian military or Revolutionary Guard responses like firing drones or launching fast boats, the official said.

The U.S. military is using more than 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft and more than a dozen ships to enforce the blockade, which the official says is a blockade not of the Strait of Hormuz itself, but rather of Iranian ports and coastal areas.

The U.S. plan is to interdict ships as they enter the Gulf of Oman after they go through the Strait of Hormuz, rather than stop them from going through it, the official said. The U.S. has more than a dozen ships in the Gulf of Oman, and it does not make sense to put them in the Persian Gulf right now, the official said.

Instead, it can use surveillance aircraft, manned aircraft and sea-based surveillance systems like radars to identify ships that are leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas and communicate with them over radio to let them know they are violating the blockade and need to turn around after they transit the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military directs the ships to go back to Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman, rather than back through the Strait of Hormuz, because they have more options and assets in the Gulf of Oman to enforce the blockade.

So far, no ships have refused, but if they do, the U.S. military has full authority to use force to stop them, the official said, including using fighter aircraft or ships to fire on them.

What to know

• PEACE TALKS: In-person talks between the U.S. and Iran could resume as early as this week, two people familiar with the ongoing negotiations told NBC News. After weekend negotiations in Pakistan failed to reach a deal, Vice President JD Vance said it was up to Iran to “take the next step.”

• IRAN BLOCKADE: A number of Iran-linked ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz this morning despite the American blockade of Iranian ports.

• The International Rescue Committee is calling for urgently establishing a HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR through the Strait of Hormuz to allow lifesaving aid to be delivered to vulnerable populations in Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and other countries.

• ISRAEL-LEBANON TALKS: Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold more talks after the U.S. ambassadors to both countries held a meeting today that was also attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has vowed not to abide by any agreements.

• DEATH TOLL: Iran’s forensic chief said more than 3,000 people had been killed in the country since U.S.-Israeli strikes began Feb. 28. More than 2,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, 32 have been killed in Gulf states, and 23 have died in Israel. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and two more died of noncombat causes. (Source: NBC News)