U.S. to Blockade Iran
The U.S. said it will begin a blockade of Iranian ports after ceasefire talks ended without agreement, shifting the crisis toward maritime coercion and added shipping risk. (apnews.com) Tehran publicly responded with defiant language, and at least one close ally — the UK — said it would not join blockade efforts, indicating uneven allied alignment. (latimes.com) (cnbctv18.com)
The United States said it will start blocking maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports on Monday, April 13, after ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without a deal. (apnews.com) President Donald Trump said on Sunday, April 12, that the United States Navy would begin the action “immediately,” and United States Central Command later said enforcement would start at 10 a.m. Eastern time on April 13. The New York Times reported the order covers ships “entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas,” not every vessel crossing the Strait of Hormuz. (apnews.com) (nytimes.com) The talks that collapsed were held over the weekend in Islamabad and ran about 21 hours, according to Associated Press reporting from the scene. Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan without an agreement or announced next step. (apnews.com) Iran answered with defiant public language after the announcement, while Britain said it would not take part in the operation. Bloomberg reported the British government said on April 12 that it still backed freedom of navigation and reopening the strait. (bloomberg.com) (latimes.com) A blockade is not the same thing as sanctions on paper. It means warships, aircraft, inspections, and the threat of force are used to stop commercial shipping from reaching a target’s ports or coast. (nytimes.com) That matters in the Gulf because the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s main energy chokepoints. The United States Energy Information Administration said flows through the strait in 2024 and early 2025 accounted for more than one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade and about one-fifth of global oil and petroleum product consumption. (eia.gov) The International Energy Agency put the volume at about 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and oil products in 2025. It said the route remains one of the world’s most critical oil transit passages. (iea.org) Trump framed the move as a way to cut off Iranian revenue and take control of a waterway that had already been disrupted during the war. Reuters reported military experts described the mission as a major, open-ended operation that could trigger retaliation from Tehran and strain the ceasefire further. (nytimes.com) (msn.com) The immediate question is whether Washington can enforce the order without widening the conflict or pulling in more navies. For now, the United States has announced the timetable, Iran has rejected the pressure, and at least one close ally has already said no. (apnews.com) (bloomberg.com)
