CAIRO (AP) 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the American military had begun a blockade of Iranian ports as part of his effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and to that has raged for more than six weeks.
Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at U.S.-allied countries.
That set the stage for an that posed serious risks for the global economy and raised the specter that the ceasefire could collapse and the war could resume. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict 鈥� which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran 鈥� this past weekend. There has been no word on whether negotiations will resume.
Trump says the blockade has begun
鈥淲e can鈥檛 let a country blackmail or extort the world because that鈥檚 what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� Trump said of Iran at the White House, where he announced the blockade had started.
He suggested the U.S. remains willing to engage with Iran.
鈥淚 can tell you that we鈥檝e been called by the other side,鈥� Trump said, adding that “they want to work a deal.鈥� He did not say who called or what was discussed.
A notice to mariners by the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency said the blockade restricted 鈥渢he entirety of the Iranian coastline, including ports and energy infrastructure.鈥�
It said transit through the strait 鈥渢o or from non-Iranian destinations is not reported to be impeded,鈥� though ships 鈥渕ay encounter military presence.”
At least two tankers approaching the strait Monday turned around soon after the U.S. blockade began, vessel tracker MarineTraffic said in a post on X.
Iran鈥檚 effective , through which 20% of traded oil passes in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East.
Before the blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as friendly to pass while , leading to accusations it is holding the global economy hostage.
Some analysts are doubtful that the United States can restore normal shipping through force alone. And it鈥檚 not clear how the blockade will work or what the dangers might be to U.S. forces.
The question is essentially who can endure the most pain: Could a blockade make Iran鈥檚 economic situation untenable and force it to concede? Or will it drive global oil and other prices so high that Trump is forced to back down?
The blockade could have far-reaching effects
The U.S. military’s Central Command announced the blockade would be enforced 鈥渁gainst vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas鈥� on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
CENTCOM’s decision to allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait was a step down from Trump鈥檚 earlier threat to blockade the waterway.
In a social media message, Trump said Iran鈥檚 navy had been “completely obliterated鈥� but still had 鈥渇ast attack ships.鈥� Trump warned that 鈥渋f any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.”
Iran issued threats of its own.
鈥淪ecurity in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for NO ONE,鈥� the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported Monday. 鈥淎n Iranian military statement said: 鈥淣O PORT in the region will be safe.鈥�
The threats halted the limited ship traffic that resumed in the strait since the ceasefire, according to a report from Lloyd鈥檚 List Intelligence. Marine trackers say over 40 commercial ships have crossed since the start of the ceasefire last week, down from 100 or more vessel passages per day before the war.
The blockade is intended to pressure Iran, which has of oil since the war began, much of it likely carried by so-called dark transits that evade Western sanctions and oversight.
But the effects will be felt far beyond Iran. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, hovered Monday . It cost roughly $70 per barrel before the war.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said they plan a summit this week seeking to end the conflict and unblock the strait.
Iran says 鈥榠f you fight, we will fight’
Top-ranking Iranian officials threatened retaliation.
Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian parliament鈥檚 National Security Commission, dismissed U.S. the threat of a U.S. blockade as 鈥渕ore bluffing than reality.鈥�
鈥淚t will make the current situation (Trump) is in more complicated and makes the market 鈥� which he is angry about 鈥� more turbulent,鈥� he said in a post on X.
The Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, addressed Trump in a statement: 鈥淚f you fight, we will fight.鈥�
Meanwhile, Iran鈥檚 representative to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, demanded compensation from five Middle Eastern countries that Iran says violated international law by aiding the war effort against it, the Islamic Republic鈥檚 state-run media said Monday.
Iran鈥檚 official news agency, IRNA, reported that Iravani said Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates owe Iran for 鈥渕aterial and moral damages.鈥�
Legal experts are watching
U.S. military officials have offered few details about how the blockade will actually work.
The U.S. Navy has 16 warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Middle East, a defense official said. A second defense official said no American warships are in the Persian Gulf, which forms most of Iran鈥檚 coastline. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
Under international law, the blockade must be impartially enforced. Legal experts will also be watching to see if the U.S. allows humanitarian aid to reach Iran.
鈥淗ow it is carried out will determine whether it is lawful or not,鈥� said Todd Huntley, a retired Navy captain and director of Georgetown University鈥檚 national security law program.
Ceasefire holds after talks end without agreement
The blockade threat came after marathon in Pakistan ended without an agreement on Saturday.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the talks stalled after Iran refused to accept American terms on refraining from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran has insisted its is peaceful. However, it has pushed forward with steps that could give it the ability to build a nuclear weapon, including enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels and developing long-range missiles potentially capable of delivering a bomb.
Iran鈥檚 ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, said the main sticking points for Tehran were its nuclear program, war reparations and sanctions relief.
Neither Iran nor the U.S. has indicated what will happen after the ceasefire expires on April 22. The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 2,089 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed.
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Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands, Frankel from New York. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Konstantin Toropin, Collin Binkley, Ben Finley and David Klepper in Washington; Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Jill Lawless in London; Ghaya Ben MBarek in Tunis, Tunisia; and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.
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