The two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran lasted about ten days before the whole thing fell apart in Pakistan. By Sunday morning, Trump had announced a naval blockade and told Iran the U.S. was ready to “finish up” whatever was left of the country.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He also instructed the Navy to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” adding that “no one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.” He closed with the U.S. being “LOCKED AND LOADED” to finish the job.
The talks in Islamabad lasted 21 hours before collapsing Sunday morning.
JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said Iran refused to commit to abandoning its nuclear weapons program, calling it the core issue that prevented any deal. “We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will,” Vance said at a press conference, which is a fairly grim thing to say after flying to Pakistan for a day of negotiations.
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Iran’s side was equally pointed. Vance also said that Iran’s demand to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz “added complexities” to the talks, and that “we should not have expected to reach an agreement in one meeting from the beginning.” That last part might have been useful to say before getting on the plane.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf blamed the U.S. for the collapse, saying American officials “failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation.” Iranian officials said publicly that they believe they have the upper hand and that diplomacy “never comes to an end,” which is the diplomatic equivalent of not calling back.
The blockade announcement creates an unusual situation. Iran has spent six weeks blocking ships from using the strait. Trump is now blocking ships from using the strait. Both sides are blockading the same waterway, apparently in opposite directions, while the global oil market watches in horror.
Bloomberg noted that the blockade move will likely exacerbate oil and fuel shortages globally, a consequence that will land squarely on consumers already paying near $4 a gallon at the pump.
Trump said the U.S. blockade is an effort to stop Iran from “profiting off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION,” adding: “THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
