The United States military has announced it will begin a sweeping blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on Monday, following the collapse of high-level talks with Iran aimed at ending weeks of conflict.
The blockade, set to take effect at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT), will target vessels across Iranian ports along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to U.S. Central Command. However, ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian destinations will not be affected.
The move follows two days of negotiations in Islamabad — the first direct engagement between Washington and Tehran in more than a decade — which failed to produce an agreement despite a fragile ceasefire reached days earlier after six weeks of fighting across the Gulf.
Donald Trump said US forces would also intercept vessels in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran.
“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump wrote, adding: “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”
He also said the United States Navy would begin clearing mines allegedly placed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route handling about 20% of the world’s energy supply.
The announcement has already disrupted global markets, with benchmark oil prices rising more than 7% to exceed $100 per barrel in Asian trading, while the US dollar strengthened and stock futures fell.
Shipping patterns also shifted rapidly, with oil tankers avoiding the Strait ahead of the blockade’s enforcement.
“Trump wants a quick fix,” said Dana Stroul. “The reality is, this mission is difficult to execute alone and likely unsustainable over the medium to long-term.”
Tensions escalated further after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards warned that any military vessels approaching the strait would be treated as a ceasefire violation and met with force.
A US official said the talks broke down after Iran rejected key demands, including ending uranium enrichment, dismantling major nuclear facilities, and halting support for regional groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Iran also resisted calls to fully open the Strait of Hormuz, one of the central sticking points in negotiations.
Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s foreign minister, criticised Washington’s stance.
“Iran had “encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade” when just inches away from an “Islamabad MoU.”
“Zero lessons learned,” he added. “Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity.”
Iranian officials insisted progress had been made on several issues but said disputes over the nuclear programme and maritime access ultimately derailed the agreement.
Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, said Tehran remained open to a deal, calling for fairness in negotiations during talks with Vladimir Putin.
“If the United States returns to the framework of international law, reaching an agreement is not far off,” he said.
Despite earlier optimism, Trump later struck a more dismissive tone regarding further negotiations.
“I do believe they’re going to come to the table on this, because nobody can be so stupid as to say, ‘We want nuclear weapons,’ and they have no cards,” he said earlier, before adding hours later: “If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”
Analysts warn that even if the ceasefire holds, disruptions to Gulf energy flows could persist, pushing fuel prices higher and fuelling inflation globally.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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