Trump announces Hormuz blockade

President Donald Trump said on Sunday, April 12, that the United States Navy would begin blockading ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz after U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan ended without a deal. (actionnewsnow.com) Trump said the blockade was “effective immediately” in a Truth Social post, and CNBC reported he also said U.S. forces would interdict vessels in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran. (cnbc.com) The announcement came after 21 hours of face-to-face talks in Islamabad between a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Vance said the United States wanted an “affirmative commitment” that Iran would not seek a nuclear weapon. (actionnewsnow.com) Trump also said on Fox News that he would target China with 50% tariffs if Beijing supplied weapons to Iran, and The Associated Press reported that he said the warning was aimed at China. (actionnewsnow.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow channel between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. The International Energy Agency said an average 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and oil products moved through it in 2025. (iea.org) The Energy Information Administration said the strait handled about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption in 2024, and the International Energy Agency said flows have fallen from about 20 million barrels a day to “a trickle” during the war. (eia.gov) (iea.org) Iran has been trying to collect tolls from ships using the waterway, according to Trump and The Associated Press, and Trump said vessels that paid would not have safe passage. CNBC reported he framed the tolls as Iranian control over a route he said should stay open to all traffic. (actionnewsnow.com) (cnbc.com) The shipping disruption has already spread beyond oil. NBC News reported that major carriers including Maersk, MSC Group, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, COSCO and Emirates SkyCargo restricted or halted bookings through the region, with some ships rerouting around southern Africa. (nbcnews.com) The economic effects have reached the United States even though it imports relatively little Gulf crude. FactCheck.org reported that Persian Gulf crude made up about 8% of U.S. crude imports last year, but rising world oil prices still pushed average U.S. gasoline prices up by more than 50 cents a gallon. (factcheck.org) Some U.S. allies had already resisted Trump’s earlier requests for naval help in Hormuz. The Independent reported in March that Germany, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom were among countries that signaled they would not send ships or had not made that decision. (independent.co.uk) Sunday’s order leaves the two-week ceasefire announced earlier this month on shakier ground and puts the next move on the water as much as at the negotiating table. Trump said the blockade would continue until Iran allowed an “all being allowed to go in, all being allowed to go out” basis for shipping. (cnbc.com)