On Tuesday morning at 7:33 AM Eastern Standard Time, President Donald Trump announced on his official Social account that the United States Navy would be “BLOCKADING” any and all ships attempting to enter or leave (through) the Strait of Hormuz. According to Trump’s announcement and reports on the negotiations between the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia that were taking place in Islamabad, there was a breakdown of negotiations due to intense negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Trump Announces Strait of Hormuz Naval Blockade After Failed US-Iran Talks in Islamabad
The President wrote: “So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. 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 went on to say that Iran had been using the Strait as a means of intimidation and financial leverage. He has stated on several occasions that Iran’s actions are the “world extortion,” by adding to this assertion with further statements about Iran laying down mines in the strait and charging vessels for passage through it.
“At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis,” Trump said, but added that Iran had not allowed that to happen by merely saying, “There may be a mine out there somewhere,” that nobody knows about but them.
The President continued to use very strong language, calling the situation “WORLD EXTORTION” and stated that “THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted.”
As well, President Trump stated further penalties would be enforced against certain Russia vessels that were allegedly paying Iran for their transits. “I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he said.
In addition, President Trump warned any Iranian who fired a weapon at any of the United States or any other peaceful vessel that they would be “BLOWN TO HELL!”
US Central Command (CENTCOM) Reveals How Strait of Hormuz Blockade Will Be Enforced
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement on X that included details about how to implement the blockade.
The CENTCOM statement said that the blockade would be upheld only against vessels shipping out of and into Iranian Ports and Coastal Areas, which includes all Iranian Ports in the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. Furthermore, CENTCOM clarified that the U.S. military would not interfere with shipping vessels that were moving between the United States and non-Iranian ports to and from the Strait of Hormuz.
Commercial mariners will be given additional information through an official announcement before the blockade starts: “Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade. All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches,”
According to reports, the United States will begin blocking all maritime traffic into/out of Iranian ports at 10 AM eastern standard time (EST) or about 7:30 PM IST on Monday, April 13.
Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi Says Deal Was “Inches Away”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi pushed against the United States position and advised he was close to reaching an agreement in Islamabad, during the end of negotiations.
Reports suggest that during the weekend talks in Islamabad, Iran was “inches from” an agreement with the United States before ultimately agreements.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most important strategic waterways in the world. Internationally linking the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and also the Gulf of Oman is the Strait of Hormuz; it is the main channel for oil and liquefied gas movement from a number of Gulf countries. Approximately twenty-five percent of the world’s oil leaves via this channel on a daily basis.
Based on Iran’s geographical advantage as the Strait of Hormuz reduces the ability of regional countries to successfully navigate shipping routes (during times of regional tension), Iran can exert a significant amount of pressure on other regional actors because any disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will raise crude prices worldwide and increase the cost of insuring vessels, as well as create instability in global financial markets.
Reports from several media outlets indicate that because of the current Iran-Iraq conflict, Iran has denied access to the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping vessels for a sustained period of time which has placed additional strain on crude supplies. Several vessels that attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz have been unsuccessful due to security conditions in that area.
In fact, two tankers carrying crude oil turned around before entering the Strait of Hormuz which indicates how conscious the commercial sector is regarding the potential for military conflict in the area.
US Political Reactions: Mike Turner Supports Blockade, Mark Warner Questions Strategy
President Trump has received mixed support for the proposed blockade by the U.S. Congress.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) defended the blockade on CBS’s Face the Nation and stated that the blockade would apply enough mainstream pressure to encourage the Iraqi and Iranian to come to an agreement about control of the strait.
Turner stated; “The president, by saying we’re not just going to let them decide who gets through, is certainly calling all of our allies and everyone to the table,” Turner said. “This needs to be addressed.”
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), who is the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated in a CNN interview he does not understand how some type of blockade will ever result in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
What Happens Next? Trump’s “All or None” Policy and Risks of Wider West Asia Conflict
President Trump voiced last night on Fox News that a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “will take a little while, but will be effective pretty soon” and announced that it will be an “all-or-none approach.”
Both of those comments would seem to suggest that the positions being conveyed about the blockade and the establishment of the blockade are more focused on obtaining political leverage than about creating a military plan. However, there are tremendous dangers associated with enforcing a blockade of the world’s busiest (or one of the busiest) shipping routes.
If there is a violent confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz or in that part of the world, a huge increase in the price of energy will occur, merchandise shipping routes will be affected, and other local stakeholders will become engaged in an already dangerous and volatile situation.
Thus, the world is continuing to watch whether this announcement is merely a negotiating ploy or if this is the beginning of another dangerous stage in the crisis.