Prepare for much more pain at the pump. The United States has started its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Ships are now all barred from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. says that it is attempting to ratchet up pressure on Iran to reopen the key oil route after peace negotiations collapsed. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, which Tehran says the U.S., via Israel, has already violated.
Trump Threatens to Blockade The Strait of Hormuz
“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world, because that’s what they’re doing,” President Donald Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office after the blockade took effect at 10 a.m. ET, Monday morning.
Trump’s impromptu remarks at the White House came after Vice President JD Vance returned from Pakistan without a deal with Iran and with last week’s two-week ceasefire looking shakier amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Trump said that a point of disagreement has been whether or not Tehran will acquire a nuclear weapon. Since Iran did not agree to never have them, all deals fell through.
“We agreed to a lot of things, but they didn’t agree to that, and I think they will agree to it. I’m almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don’t agree, there’s no deal,” Trump said.
Vance Fails In Iran: No Peace Deal
While the U.S. worked to block the vital waterway, Trump warned Iran’s “fast attack ships” not to come near the U.S. forces enforcing the closure.
“If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to a report by CNBC. “It is quick and brutal.”
Trump’s War With Iran Could Constitute “War Crimes”
China has already called the U.S. blockade “dangerous and irresponsible.” It will most certainly ratchet up already tight tensions in the Middle East, along with the cost of oil.