President Donald Trump announced Sunday, April 12, that the United States Navy will begin blockading ships entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz, hours after peace talks between the United States and Iran collapsed in Islamabad, Pakistan.
In a Truth Social post reported by CBS News, Trump said the Navy would begin “BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz” and “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.” He called Iran’s control of the strait “EXTORTION” and said Iran “will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act.”
According to NPR, CENTCOM later confirmed that the blockade will take effect at 10 a.m. ET Monday and will apply to ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas. Vessels traveling between non-Iranian ports will not be impeded.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, normally carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. Since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets on Feb. 28, Iran has restricted passage through the strait, and Al Jazeera, citing AAA reported that the average price of gasoline in the United States has risen to $4.15 per gallon, up from under $3 before the war began.
More than 21 hours of face-to-face negotiations preceded the blockade. Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation in Islamabad, said the talks collapsed over Iran’s nuclear program. “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,” Vance said, according to NPR. He added that Iran “chose not to accept our terms.”
Iranian officials described the talks more broadly. NPR reported that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X that the discussions covered the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues, sanctions, reparations, and an end to the broader regional conflict. He criticized what he described as “excessive demands” from the American side. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also wrote on X that the two sides had been “inches away” from a memorandum of understanding before running into what he described as “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade,” according to NBC News.
Trump, in a separate Truth Social post Sunday, wrote that “most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not,” CBS News reported.
On Saturday, April 11, the USS Frank E. Peterson Jr. and the USS Michael Murphy became the first U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. Al Jazeera reported that CENTCOM said the ships were operating in the Arabian Gulf “as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.” In the same statement, Adm. Brad Cooper said the U.S. had begun establishing “a new passage” to encourage the flow of commerce.
That account was disputed by Iran. Al Jazeera reported that an Iranian military spokesperson “strongly denied” CENTCOM’s claim, while the IRGC warned of a “firm and forceful response” to any military ships attempting to pass through.
Commercial traffic has also become part of the confrontation. CBS News reported that analysts from Lloyd’s List Intelligence said the IRGC imposed what they described as a “toll booth” regime after restricting access in early March, requiring vessels to submit documentation, obtain clearance codes, and accept IRGC-escorted passage. At least two vessels paid Iran in Chinese yuan to guarantee safe passage, according to CBS News.
Kenneth Mitchell, chair of the political science department, said the blockade was a predictable escalation. “This is just the next shoe to drop,” Mitchell told The Outlook. He described the strategy as an attempt to cut off Tehran’s revenue. “The objective is to starve Iran of money,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell warned that the timeline is working against the administration. “He doesn’t have six months,” Mitchell said, pointing to the economic fallout and the approaching midterm elections. He said countries outside the Gulf are more likely to lose patience with the disruption first, and that walking away from the region is not an option without risking key alliances.
Even after the talks failed, both sides signaled that more action remains possible. Vance said the United States left Islamabad with what he called its “final and best offer,” adding, “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” according to NPR. Trump, meanwhile, suggested military action could continue. CNBC, citing a Wall Street Journal report, said he is considering resuming limited strikes, and in a Fox News interview Sunday, Trump said, “I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plants, their electric-generating plants, which are very easy to hit.”
