The United States military has initiated a naval blockade of all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports, effective from 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT) on Monday, after weekend peace talks between Washington and Tehran collapsed without a deal. US Central Command (Centcom) said the blockade would be enforced "impartially against vessels of all nations" entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, while pledging not to impede ships in the Strait of Hormuz bound for non-Iranian destinations.
The announcement follows a post by President Donald Trump on Truth Social in which he declared the US would begin "blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz." The strait — a narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula through which roughly one fifth of the world's energy shipments pass — has been at the centre of escalating tensions since the broader US-Iran conflict began on 28 February. Shipping through the strait has largely been at a standstill since Iran threatened to attack vessels using the waterway in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, though countries including India and Malaysia had negotiated safe passage for their own ships.
Tehran responded defiantly. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Naval Forces warned that any military vessel approaching the strait would be considered in violation of a conditional two-week ceasefire agreed earlier and would be "dealt with severely." Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's negotiating team in Pakistan-brokered talks in Islamabad, declared that Iran "will not submit to any threat."
Energy markets reacted sharply when trading reopened in Asia on Monday. Brent crude, the global benchmark, jumped 8.5% to $102.37 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose 9% to $105.34 — both surpassing the $100 threshold that had briefly been breached downward last Wednesday when the temporary ceasefire was announced. The renewed price surge is already rippling into everyday life: in Australia, ride-share company Uber announced a fuel surcharge of five cents per kilometre on all trips from 15 April, while the Australian government launched a $20 million public information campaign urging drivers to conserve fuel. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia had not been asked to participate in the blockade, but called for "freedom of navigation as required by international law" and urged the resumption of negotiations.
The blockade marks a significant escalation in a conflict that has already sent global energy prices surging and strained supply chains worldwide. With Iran vowing non-compliance and the ceasefire now in question, analysts warn the standoff could deepen an energy crisis whose effects are being felt far beyond the Middle East.
Updates
12h
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that any military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a violation of the ceasefire, while an Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson separately condemned the US restrictions on vessels in international waters as illegal and tantamount to "piracy." Tehran also announced it would implement a "permanent mechanism" to control the strait in response to the blockade. Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf taunted Trump on X, warning that Americans should "enjoy the current pump figures" and predicting they would soon be "nostalgic for $4–$5 gas." Australia's share market dropped sharply Monday morning as markets reacted to the escalating tensions.
9h
Pope Leo XIV weighed in on the crisis over the weekend, calling for peace in remarks interpreted as a veiled rebuke of Washington's posture, prompting Trump to post a lengthy attack on Truth Social accusing the pope of being "Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons" and "terrible" for foreign policy. The pope, traveling to Algeria for his first Africa visit, dismissed the broadside simply: "I am not a politician. I have no intention to debate with him." Separately, Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation in Islamabad, said the central sticking point in the collapsed talks was that Washington does not "see a fundamental commitment of will" from Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, though he left open the possibility of returning to negotiations before the ceasefire expires on April 22. Analysts warn the blockade of Iranian ports would remove roughly two million barrels of Iranian oil per day from global markets, with retired Admiral Gary Roughead cautioning that Iran could retaliate by firing on vessels in the Gulf or striking infrastructure at Gulf states hosting US forces.
2h
Trump escalated his warnings Monday as the blockade took effect, threatening on Truth Social to "immediately eliminate" any Iranian fast attack vessels that approach US forces, and separately threatening future US strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly distanced London from the operation, stating the UK does not support the blockade and is "not getting involved." Pakistan is actively working to revive the stalled negotiations, while Trump claimed Tehran had reached out to resume talks, saying "the other side has contacted us" and that Iran "wants to make a deal at any cost." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the ceasefire could "change course in an instant," voiced support for the blockade and highlighted "constant coordination" with Washington, even as Israeli forces continued strikes in Lebanon.
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