U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would begin a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of talks with Iran over its nuclear program, and warned of further escalation as tensions rise in the region.
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.”
The announcement came after negotiations with Iran ended without an agreement. Trump said the talks, which lasted nearly 20 hours, “went well, most points were agreed,” but that the sides failed to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
“The only point that really mattered — nuclear — was not,” he wrote, reiterating his long-standing position that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Trump accused Iran of failing to uphold a commitment to reopen the strategic waterway, writing, “Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so. This caused anxiety, dislocation, and pain to many people and countries throughout the world.”
He added that Iran had suggested it may have placed mines in the water, saying, “They say they put mines in the water … but what ship owner would want to take the chance?”
Trump said the United States would also target vessels that had paid tolls to Iran.
“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,” he wrote.
He said U.S. forces would begin clearing mines allegedly laid by Iran and warned of a forceful response to any attacks.
“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown to hell,” Trump wrote.
He added that other countries would join the effort and said Iran would not be allowed to benefit from what he described as an illegal act, warning that the United States is “fully locked and loaded” and could act further “at an appropriate moment.”
Exchange between Iran’s Revolutionary Guard naval forces and U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz
Shortly before Trump’s post, Iranian state-affiliated media reported an exchange between Iran’s Revolutionary Guard naval forces and U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming American vessels were warned not to pass through the area.
Iranian outlet Press TV said an attempt by U.S. forces to move two destroyers through the strait had failed.
The U.S. military’s Central Command, however, said it had begun “establishing conditions” for an operation to clear mines in the waterway and stated that two U.S. guided missile destroyers had transited the strait, contradicting the Iranian reports.