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U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S. Navy will “immediately” begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S.-Iran peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement.
Iran has demanded the right to collect tolls from vessels travelling through the strait, but Trump said no one who pays them will “have safe passage on the high seas.”
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“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,” Trump posted on social media.
The U.S. president stressed that Iran’s nuclear ambitions are at the core of the failure to end the war and that the U.S. is prepared to finish the war.
“(A)t an appropriate moment, we are fully ‘LOCKED AND LOADED,’ and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” Trump posted.
Earlier in the day, the United States and Iran ended 21 hours of face-to-face talks in Islamabad without reaching a deal, leaving the fate of the fragile, two-week ceasefire still unclear.
“The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters.
The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets has entered its seventh week.
The U.S. delegation led by Vance and the Iranian delegation led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had discussed how to advance a ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
More threats issued by Trump
He told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday that his threat brought Iran to the negotiating table. He also said the Islamic Republic has made worse statements, such as “Death to America. Death to Israel. America is a Satan.”
Trump issued new warnings to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure if its leaders don’t agree to give up its nuclear program.
“In one half of a day they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one electric generating plant standing and they’re back in the stone ages,” Trump said.
Defending his planned blockade, the U.S. president said Iran cannot control which ships go through the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that either every ship should have safe passage or none would.
“We’re not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like,” Trump said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
“It’s going to be all or none and that’s the way it is,” the president said.
The blockade will be similar to what the U.S. did with Venezuela, though on a larger scale, Trump said, suggesting that more tankers would come to the U.S. to buy oil as a result of the blockade.
Pakistan says talks reopened diplomatic channels
The 21 hours of talks in Islamabad were a positive first step, even though they ended without a formal agreement, according to two officials familiar with the process. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
They cautioned against viewing the outcome as a failure, describing diplomacy as a gradual process.
The dialogue “reopened the diplomatic channel,” they said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Asim Malik and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir facilitated the talks to keep them on track, the officials said.
Munir held multiple meetings with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation aimed at easing more than six weeks of regional tensions.
“Pakistan fulfilled its role by facilitating contact,” one official said, adding that responsibility for any final agreement rests with Washington and Tehran.
The European Union urged more diplomatic efforts despite the failure of this weekend’s peace talks
″The EU remains convinced that diplomacy is key to resolve all outstanding issues,″ the 27-nation bloc’s foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in a statement to AP on Sunday.
″The European Union will contribute to all diplomatic efforts, taking into consideration its full range of interests and concerns, in coordination with partners.″
He commended Pakistan for its mediation efforts.
European countries were not consulted on the U.S.-Israeli plans to attack Iran, and are struggling with surging energy prices and other consequences of the war. Britain and France are leading talks toward a coalition that would secure the Strait of Hormuz, after active fighting is over.
‘Dangerous precedent’
The head of Abu Dhabi’s state oil company reinforced a broad consensus in Gulf Arab states on Sunday, saying Iran has no right to close the Strait of Hormuz after negotiations in Pakistan failed to secure an agreement to reopen it.
Sultan Al Jaber posted on X that “any attempt to do so is not a regional issue; it is the disruption of a global economic lifeline and a direct threat to the energy, food and health security of every nation.”
He called it a dangerous precedent.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known as ADNOC, is among the oil exporters that has been hit hard by the war. It declared force majeure in March, telling buyers the company couldn’t fulfill its obligations. Oil and gas make up 15 per cent of the United Arab Emirates’ gross domestic product.
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