President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. will blockade the Strait of Hormuz after talks between the United States and Iran ended with no deal reached between the two sides to end the war.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.”
The U.S. Central Command announced on X late Sunday that the U.S. military would commence implementing the blockade on Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Before the blockade begins, CENTCOM will provide additional information to commercial vessels.
The blockade of vessels transiting the strait seems to be somewhat more restricted than the extensive enforcement action initially announced by Trump. CENTCOM clarified that the U.S. will not hinder vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports. The blockade will only be enforced against vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas, encompassing all Iranian ports located in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The announcement of a U.S. blockade has dampened hopes that the war would conclude in the coming days after peace talks in Islamabad. It poses a risk of intensifying the economic crisis that has plagued global economies since the war began and Iran initiated restrictions on access to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint that transports approximately a fifth of the world’s oil.
Trump asserted that the U.S. blockade aims to prevent Iran from controlling the strait and profiting economically, while the rest of the world endures the consequences of its closure.
“At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them,” he said. “THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted.”
Trump and his advisers are reportedly considering resuming limited military strikes in Iran to exert further pressure on the regime to break the stalemate in peace talks, as per The Wall Street Journal, citing officials and individuals familiar with the situation.
In an interview on Fox News, Trump appeared to once again threaten strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure.
“I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plans, their electric-generating plants, which are very easy to hit,” Trump said.
