President Trump has announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the failure of talks with the Iranians in Islamabad earlier on Sunday. A post on Truth Social said:
“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. The Blockade will begin shortly. Other countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.”
The post did not name which countries are involved in the blockade. Nor if the blockade is of the Venezuela variety where the US Navy has stopped and boarded ships believed to be smuggling out Venezuelan oil.
CNBC reported that the post also said, “At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them,” he said. “THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted.”
Trump also announced in the post that the U.S. Navy will “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” warning that there will be no passage for such ships on the high seas.
The blockade along with the threat of interdicting vessels does suggest a calculated escalation. It would further restrict the amount of oil making it to global markets, with associated economic consequences.
What impact such a blockade could have on the ceasefire is not clear. It’s hardly likely that Iran will stay quiet in the face of a US blockade. Iran says the US failed to gain its trust during the negotiations and that the talks collapsed due to that.
