Trump says 34 ships passed through Hormuz strait after blockade comes into effect
President Donald Trump on Monday touted the “highest number” of ships transiting through the critical Strait of Hormuz, after earlier confirming that a U.S. blockade of the vital waterway had gone into effect.
Still, confusion reigned over the details of the blockade, with Trump warning Iranian ships not to attempt to cross the shipping bottleneck.
“34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish closure began,” Trump said on social media.
In a post before that, Trump said any Iranian vessels that come close to the blockade would be “immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.”
The U.S. military previously said that it would start a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz at 10 a.m. Eastern on Monday for vessels “entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas,” while Trump reportedly weighed limited strikes on Iran following failed weekend negotiations.
U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime monitoring organization, told sailors it had been informed that the restrictions included “the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including ports and energy infrastructure.”
The blockade will be enforced in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz and apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag, Reuters reported, citing a note to seafarers from U.S. Central Command. The note warned that any vessel “entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion and capture,” although the blockade will “not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations.”
In response, Iran’s armed forces have warned that “no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe” should the blockade take effect, calling it an “act of piracy,” according to state broadcaster IRIB. Tehran will also not allow U.S. ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and will protect its territorial waters, IRIB reported.
The spokesperson for the National Security Commission of Iran’s parliament dismissed Trump’s blockade as “bluster,” but stressed that Tehran would retaliate to what it considers to be an “act of war.” Only by showing “respect” could the U.S. improve the current situation, Ebrahim Rezai said on social media, adding that Iran has “other cards that we have not used in the game.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf also declared Sunday that Iran will not yield to threats. Addressing Trump directly on social media, Qalibaf stated, “If you fight, we will fight.”
European leaders moved to show their detachment from Trump’s blockade. Spain and the United Kingdom said they would not be involved, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the “restoration of the freedom of navigation.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump criticized NATO — an alliance which includes several European countries — for not helping with the war effort in Iran, reiterating that Washington was seriously examining its relationship with the organization.
Israel, which launched a joint campaign with the U.S. against Iran in late February, backed the blockade, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the plan displays a “firm stance” from Trump. Talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington are scheduled to take place this week, after Israeli strikes on Iran-aligned Hezbollah targets in Lebanon cast some doubt over the longevity of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Oil prices rose back above $100 a barrel on Monday, while global stocks wobbled.
“The weekend’s news is potentially another blow to markets, although investors have so far interpreted it fairly cautiously,” said Thomas Mathews, Head of Markets, Asia Pacific, at Capital Economics.
Trump reportedly gauging limited strikes after failed negotiations
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Trump is weighing limited strikes against Iran, which analysts at Vital Knowledge said could be a sign that the White House may be “pivoting away aggressively from a resumption” of the full-scale bombing campaign it had been conducting on Iran.
Trump could also restart such widespread bombardments, although officials view this option as less likely given the president’s desire not to become embroiled in a long-term conflict, the WSJ said.
The report came after the U.S. and Iran finished 21 hours of negotiations in Pakistan without an agreement to solidify an ongoing two-week halt to hostilities. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation during the discussions, said Iran had refused to accept U.S. demands to refrain from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran did not immediately provide a comment on the talks, although Pakistan — which has served as a mediator — stressed that both sides must “uphold their commitment to ceasefire.”
Trump later confirmed that the U.S. plans to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that Iran had broken its promise to reopen the key shipping channel south of Iran through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil squeezes. Speaking to reporters, Trump added that he did not care if Iran returned to the negotiating table.
“I don’t care if they come back or not, if they don’t come back, we’re fine,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
Earlier, the WSJ reported that several countries were working to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table after the marathon talks. The report said the door remains open to further diplomacy, with a second round of talks potentially possible within days. Regional governments are also in consultations with Washington to extend a fragile ceasefire announced last week.
Media reports said U.S. demands included a full end to Iran’s uranium enrichment, the dismantling of major nuclear facilities, the handover of highly enriched material, the reopening of Hormuz without tolls, broader regional peace, and an end to support for proxy groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi group in Yemen.
Iranian officials proposed allowing limited enrichment or reducing their stockpile of enriched uranium, but the sides failed to bridge differences, reports said.
Ambar Warrick, Senad Karaahmetovic, Anuron Mitra and Reuters contributed to this article
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