War in the Middle East: Trumps threat against Ormuz, Iranian deadly whirlwind… The ceasefire hangs by a thread

The ceasefire between Iran and the United States has never seemed as fragile as it does this Sunday. Donald Trump announced the implementation of an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This, according to him, was a response to Iran’s “uncompromising” refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions during the negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend. 20 Minutes provides an update on the latest developments of the day.

Towards an American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz? It is an understatement to say that we struggle to understand the geostrategic choices of the American president. The American president ordered on Sunday an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz while acknowledging that the talks were “going well” and that “most of the points had been agreed upon.” However, one point is causing tensions: Tehran’s refusal to concede on the nuclear issue. “As of now, the American navy, the best in the world, will begin the process of BLOCKING all ships trying to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz,” he declared on his Truth Social platform a few hours after the American delegation left the negotiating table, realizing the failure. But Donald Trump did not provide any details on the modalities of such an operation, even though this strategic passage has been controlled by Iran since the beginning of the war.

Tehran’s response was swift The Revolutionary Guards immediately threatened to “trap their enemies in a deadly whirlwind,” claiming to have “completely under control” the traffic in the strait. In fact, Tehran has established tolls for passage, which it intends to maintain. The United States were “unable” to gain the trust of Iranians during peace negotiations, stated the Iranian Parliament speaker, a few hours after the talks’ failure.

And here come the tariffs again Donald Trump also threatened China – one of his main trading partners – with tariffs of 50% on its goods if Beijing provided military assistance to Iran in the Middle East war. “If they get caught doing that, they’ll face tariffs of 50%, which is staggering,” the American president said on Fox News.

Putin doesn’t care Vladimir Putin reportedly told his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Pezeshkian, that he was ready to participate in mediation. During a telephone conversation, the Russian president “emphasized that he was willing to continue facilitating the search for a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict and to serve as a mediator in efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” according to the Kremlin. However, it is unlikely that his proposal will succeed.

For the EU, diplomacy remains “essential” The European Union remains convinced that diplomacy is “essential for resolving all outstanding issues” in the Middle East conflict, said Anouar El Anouni, EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, this Sunday. “We commend Pakistan for its mediation efforts. The European Union will contribute to all diplomatic efforts, taking into account the full extent of its interests and concerns, in full coordination with its partners,” he added.