US President Donald Trump accused Iranian officials of breaking promises to resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz and said he was ordering US warships to begin a blockade of this important sea artery and stop every ship that paid Iran a toll.
In a detailed social media post on April 12, Trump also expressed the view that Tehran’s unwillingness to curb its nuclear programmes was the reason for the breakdown of high-level talks in Pakistan.
Hours earlier, US negotiators, among them Vice President JD Vance, had left Pakistan without reaching an agreement. Vance said the lack of an agreement was “bad news” for Tehran, while Iran put the blame on U.S. officials.
“Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz but deliberately failed to do so. This has caused anxiety, chaos and suffering for many people and countries around the world,” Trump wrote.This is a great shame and irreparable damage to Iran’s reputation.”
Meanwhile, U.S. warships “as of this moment” will begin blocking any vessels that attempt to pass through the strait, Trump said.
“I have also instructed our navy to detect and detain in international waters every vessel that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will get safe passage on the high seas,” he wrote.
A day earlier, U.S. warships passed through the spilt permit to restore global shipping through the narrow waterway.
Talks between USA and Iranian representatives in Islamabad on 11 April ended in failure as the sides failed to reach agreement on several key issues. Vance said Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a major obstacle.
It is unclear how the failure of the talks will affect the truce that Trump announced last week.
Iran has effectively halted all shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, causing global energy prices to skyrocket. Tehran has said it will begin charging a toll on ships seeking to pass through the waterway.