President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. Navy will “immediately” begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, barring “any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.” The announcement comes after the U.S. and the Islamic Republic failed to reach an accord during peace talks in Pakistan.
"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," President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” President Trump added.
Vice President Vance Reveals Peace Talks Failure
Vice President (VP) JD Vance, lead negotiator during peace talks, shared the news that both nations failed to finalize a deal during a press conference in Islamabad before boarding Air Force Two to leave the country.
"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the U.S. ... They have chosen not to accept our terms," VP Vance said.
"The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” VP Vance added when questioned on the cause of the negotiations’ failure.
U.S. CENTCOM Confirms Blockade
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the blockade in a post via X. The blockade is set to begin at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, Apr. 13. Additionally, CENTCOM affirmed that vessels not using Iranian ports would not be impeded.
Iran's Foreign Ministry Opens Up About Negotiations
According to NPR, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei issued a statement on X confirming that the main points of the negotiations “were the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues, sanctions, reparations, and an end to the war against Iran and the region.”
Baqaei added that demands such as maintaining control over the maritime chokepoint contributed to the falter, stating that "we should not have expected to reach an agreement in one meeting from the beginning.”
