Trump says US will blockade Strait of Hormuz after failed Iran talks
Updated ,first published
Washington: US President Donald Trump said the US Navy would blockade the Strait of Hormuz following failed peace talks with Iran and warned that Iranians who tried to stop it would “fly to hell”.
He said peace talks in Islamabad over the weekend were going “well” but failed to reach agreement on a key issue related to Iran’s nuclear program.
“Effective immediately, the U.S. Navy, the Best Navy in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKING all Ships attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
“At some point we will reach the baseline of ‘everyone is allowed in, everyone is allowed out’, but Iran did not allow it to be a mine that no one knew about but them, saying ‘There might be a mine in there somewhere.’
“THIS WORLD IS EXCLUDED and the Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be usurped.”
The US president said that he has instructed the Navy to intervene in all ships that harm Iran in international waters and to destroy the mines that Iran has laid in the strait.
“Any Iranian who fires at us or at peaceful ships WILL BE THROWN INTO HELL!” he said. “The blockade will begin shortly. Other countries will also join this blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit from this illegal act of extortion. They want money and more importantly, they want Nuclear.”
A naval blockade is generally considered an act of war. While Trump did not indicate that the United States planned to resume attacks on Iran, he warned that the military was “LOCKED AND LOADED” and ready to “finish what little is left of Iran.”
Previously, negotiating teams ended 21-hour talks in Pakistan’s capital Without an agreement to put a permanent end to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran that began on February 28.
Last week, a fragile ceasefire began outside Lebanon, where Israel continues to strike targets linked to Iran’s proxy Hezbollah.
US Vice President JD Vance, who heads the US delegation in Islamabad, said failure to reach an agreement was “bad news”, especially for Iran.
“The simple fact is that we need to see a positive commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons and will not seek the means to quickly obtain nuclear weapons,” he said.
While the talks were ongoing, US Central Command said two US Navy destroyers passed through the strait to ensure it was cleared of mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
During the war, traffic at the critical sea crossing came to a halt due to the possible presence of mines and Iranian drone attacks. One-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes through the strait, and the virtual closure of the strait has contributed to the rapid rise in oil prices internationally.
More to come
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
