Pentagon announces ‘blockade’ of Iranian ports

President Trump has ordered a naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran talks in Pakistan collapsed

The US Department of War announced that US forces will begin enforcing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from 10 am ET (2 pm GMT) on April 13, after US-Iran talks in Pakistan ended without a deal.

The US Central Command said the blockade would apply to vessels of all nations calling at Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, but added that it would not impede freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for ships travelling to and from non-Iranian ports.

The move follows the collapse of marathon 21-hour negotiations in Islamabad. Vice President JD Vance said Washington had left Pakistan with its “final and best offer” still on the table, while Tehran said the process broke down because of “excessive” or “unreasonable” American demands.

The main sticking points remain the same ones that dominated the Pakistan talks: Iran’s nuclear programme, the future of the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, war compensation and the wider regional conflict. US reporting has framed the impasse around Washington’s demand for a binding commitment that Iran not pursue a nuclear weapon, while Iranian officials say the US tried to win at the negotiating table what it failed to secure during the war.

President Donald Trump had already signaled a more aggressive turn after the talks failed, ordering what he called a blockade around Hormuz and saying US naval forces would seek to interdict vessels that complied with Iran’s transit rules.

Iran, for its part, has warned that any hostile military activity in the waterway will be met with force, even as President Masoud Pezeshkian has said a deal would still be possible if Washington abandoned what he called “totalitarianism”.