Trump Orders U.S. Naval Blockade of Strait of Hormuz

President Trump announced Sunday that the United States will begin a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and will interdict vessels in international waters that he says have paid tolls to Iran in cryptocurrency or Chinese yuan. The order followed nearly 20 hours of talks in Pakistan that did not resolve disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program.

The Pakistan-hosted negotiations began early in the morning and continued through the night. Pakistani leaders Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led the talks. Trump named Iran’s delegation as Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi and Ali Bagheri and said some issues were settled but the core nuclear dispute remained unresolved.

Trump described the toll payments as illegal and said the United States will act to prevent such transfers. He declared, “This is world extortion, and leaders of countries, especially the United States, will never be extorted.” He demanded Iran reopen the strait and said concerns about mines and other hazards in the water remain.

The president added that many Iranian units previously used to deploy mines had been destroyed, but he questioned whether ship owners would accept the risk of transit. He asserted that Pakistani leaders thanked him for averting a larger regional conflict and said they credited him with preventing a potential war with India, estimating lives saved at between 30 million and 50 million. He also stated, “Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions!”

Maritime traffic and energy markets reacted quickly. Online searches for “price of oil” and for the Strait of Hormuz rose to record levels, with search interest climbing roughly 300 percent above earlier peaks. Shipping data showed at least three very large crude carriers transited the strait during the truce: the Liberia-flagged VLCC Serifos and the China-flagged VLCCs Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai. Each tanker can carry about two million barrels of crude. The Serifos was reported to be chartered by Thailand’s state energy firm and had loaded crude from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; it was due to reach Malacca Port, Malaysia, on April 21.

Iranian officials characterized the talks as unsuccessful because of what they described as excessive U.S. demands, and they said the status of the strait and Iran’s nuclear program remained central points of dispute.

U.S. orders to blockade or interdict vessels in international waters will require clarification on how enforcement will be carried out and on the legal authority for actions against ships flagged by other states. Ship owners, flag states and maritime operators must assess risks as markets respond to the announcement.