After the failed negotiations this weekend in Islamabad, Washington decided to take action in response to Tehran’s refusal to make concessions on nuclear issues.
Donald Trump announced on Sunday an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran’s “intransigent” refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions during the negotiations in Islamabad. Despite stating that discussions in Pakistan had gone well and that “most points had been agreed upon,” the US president asserted on his Truth Social platform that Tehran had refused any compromise on the nuclear issue.
“From now on, the US Navy, the best in the world, will begin the process of BLOCKING all ships attempting to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote about the strategic sea route through which one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes and is located between Iran and Oman.
In two lengthy messages, the American president warned, “Any Iranian who shoots at us, or shoots at peaceful ships, will be DESTROYED!” implying that “other countries” would be involved in the blockade effort without naming them. This announcement comes as negotiations in Islamabad between the United States and Iran failed on Sunday, casting doubt on the observance of the two-week ceasefire currently in place. The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation, criticized the United States as “incapable” of gaining Iran’s trust during the discussions.
On Saturday, the US military announced that two American warships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz, marking the beginning of a mine-clearing operation. These claims were denied by Tehran. The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, then threatened to act “harshly” against any military ship transiting through the strait.
