Middle East
US President Donald Trump makes a fist upon arrival at Miami International Airport in Miami, on April 11, 2026. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy on Sunday to begin blocking the Strait of Hormuz after high-level talks with Iran in Islamabad failed to produce a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program, escalating tensions in the Gulf.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “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.”
He added that Iran must open the waterway and warned: “THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION,” insisting vessels paying Iranian tolls would be intercepted and mines removed. “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” he said.
Trumps remarks came hours after US Vice President JD Vance said that they failed to reach an agreement with Tehran following ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan, as he departed the capital after marathon talks.
“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 United States of America," Vance, head of the US delegation, told reporters before leaving Islamabad after 21 hours of negotiations.
"So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are."
Folowing Trump's remarks, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRG) warned it retained control of the waterway, saying: "any wrong move will trap the enemy in deadly whirlpools in the strait."
The escalation follows failed talks in Islamabad involving US officials including Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, who met Iranian counterparts Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi, and Ali Bagheri. Trump said: “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” after negotiators failed to bridge gaps over Tehran’s uranium enrichment program.
Amid fears of renewed conflict and rising energy prices, regional and international leaders urged restraint, with Pakistan calling for continued dialogue and the UK’s Keir Starmer stressing the need to preserve the ceasefire. Russia’s Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to help mediate.
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