The United States military launched a naval blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, following the collapse of weekend peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, dramatically raising the stakes in the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. US Central Command announced that the blockade would take effect at 1400 GMT, applying to all ships seeking to enter or leave Iranian ports along both the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — effectively seizing control of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas exports normally flow.

President Donald Trump, who announced the move on social media, signalled he was unconcerned about the failure of diplomacy.