(SeaPRwire) – U.S. military forces were set to launch a blockade targeting all Iranian ports and coastal regions on Monday, as President Donald Trump aimed to ramp up pressure on Iran. This move carries the risk of pushing oil prices even higher and reigniting the ongoing conflict. Iran responded by threatening all ports across the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
“Security in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman belongs to all nations or to none at all,” Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported on Monday. A joint statement from the Iranian military and the Revolutionary Guards echoed this, declaring, “NO PORT in the region will be safe.”
U.S. Central Command announced that starting at 10 a.m. EDT (6:30 p.m. local Iran time), the blockade would be enforced “against vessels of all nationalities entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas.” This will cover all of Iran’s ports along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, the command noted. CENTCOM added that it would still permit ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the Strait of Hormuz — a shift from Trump’s prior threat to seal off this critical waterway, which handled 20% of global oil shipments before the conflict erupted.
Per a Lloyd’s List intelligence report, the blockade announcement halted the limited shipping traffic that had resumed in the strait following the ceasefire. Marine trackers report that more than 40 commercial vessels have transited the strait since the ceasefire began, a sharp drop from the 100 to 135 daily ship crossings recorded in the period before the war started.
The blockade threat emerged after days-long U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan concluded without a deal on Saturday. U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated that the talks broke down because Iran rejected U.S. demands that it halt nuclear weapons development. Iran has called for compensation for damage inflicted by U.S.-Israeli strikes that sparked the war on February 28, as well as the unfreezing of its overseas assets.
On Sunday evening, Trump escalated his ongoing dispute over the war with Pope Leo XIV, criticizing the Catholic leader in a Truth Social post as “terrible on foreign policy” after Leo condemned the conflict and called on political leaders to halt fighting and pursue peace talks. The pope pushed back on Monday, telling reporters that the Vatican’s pleas for peace and reconciliation are grounded in the Gospel, and that he does not fear the Trump administration.
The blockade is poised to trigger widespread, far-reaching consequences
The blockade is reportedly designed to ramp up pressure on Iran, which has exported millions of barrels of oil since the start of the conflict. A large share of these shipments are believed to be transported via so-called “dark” transits that avoid Western government sanctions and regulatory oversight.
Shortly after the blockade announcement, U.S. crude oil prices jumped 8% to $104.24 per barrel. The global benchmark Brent crude rose 7% to $102.29 a barrel, compared to a pre-war price of roughly $70 per barrel in late February.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support on Monday for Trump’s “firm stance to implement a naval blockade against Iran.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer told BBC Radio on Monday that the United Kingdom will not participate in any U.S.-led blockade of Iranian ports, in response to the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and stressed that Britain “will not be pulled into this war.”
Iran Vows: “If You Attack, We Will Fight Back”
A number of senior Iranian officials issued threats of retaliation. Mohsen Rezaei, a military advisor and former Revolutionary Guards commander, wrote on X that the country’s military forces possess “significant, unused tools” to respond to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and the country’s lead negotiator in the Pakistan talks, addressed Trump in a statement upon returning to Iran: “If you choose to fight, we will fight back.”
Two semi-official Iranian news agencies reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards later stated the strait remains under Iran’s “full control” and is open to non-military vessels, but that military ships would face a “strong, decisive response.”
During the 21-hour negotiations held in Pakistan over the weekend, U.S. military officials announced that two destroyers had transited the strait in preparation for mine-clearing operations — the first such movement since the war started. Iran rejected this claim.
No Clarity on Next Steps After Ceasefire Expires
Vance, who led the U.S. negotiating team in the Pakistan talks, stated that the U.S. would require “a clear, unambiguous commitment that Iran will not pursue the development of nuclear weapons.”
A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity — as they were not authorized to discuss official negotiating positions — noted that Iranian negotiators were unable to accept all of the U.S.’s “red lines.” These red lines include preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon, ending uranium enrichment activities, dismantling major enrichment facilities, allowing for the recovery of its highly enriched uranium stockpiles, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and ceasing funding for Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi rebels.
Iranian officials stated that the negotiations collapsed over two or three core issues, blaming what they described as U.S. overreach. Qalibaf, who had pointed to progress during the talks, said it was time for the U.S. “to decide whether it can earn our trust or not.”
Neither Iranian nor U.S. officials have outlined any plans for what will occur after the ceasefire expires on April 22.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that his country will work to broker new negotiations in the coming days. State-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran has expressed willingness to continue talks.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan — whose country has backed mediation efforts — proposed that if meaningful progress is made in talks, the ceasefire could be extended by 45 to 60 days to allow for additional negotiations.
Iran’s Nuclear Program Remains a Core Sticking Point
Iran’s nuclear program has been a central source of tension for years, long before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28. The conflict has claimed at least 3,000 lives in Iran, 2,055 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, and more than a dozen others in Gulf Arab states, while damaging critical infrastructure across six countries.
Tehran has repeatedly denied pursuing nuclear weapons, but maintains that it is entitled to develop a civilian nuclear energy program. The landmark 2015 nuclear accord — from which Trump later withdrew the U.S. — took more than a year of intensive negotiations to finalize. Experts note that while Iran’s current enriched uranium stockpile is not weapons-grade, it is only a small technical step away from reaching that threshold.
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Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, Boak from Miami, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing, Collin Binkley and Ben Finley in Washington, Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Brian Melley in London, Ghaya Ben MBarek in Tunis, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, and Julia Frankel and Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.
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