President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. will impose a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway through which about 20% of the world’s energy passes, after talks with Iran in Pakistan failed.
In a social media publication, Trump said: “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.”
He went on to say he instructed the Navy to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.” “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he added.
Elsewhere in the post, Trump threatened to resume the war, saying that at “an appropriate moment, we are fully “LOCKED AND LOADED,” and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran.”
The remarks come after talks failed to yield positive results following 21 hours of negotiations in Pakistan.
The New York Times detailed that Iran refused to open the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. refused to release some $27 billion in frozen revenue held abroad, which Tehran is seeking to fund reconstruction efforts after six weeks of war. The two sides also failed to reach an agreement about what should be done with some 900 pounds of enriched uranium in Iran.
Before departing Pakistan, Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. delegation “made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on, and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on, and we’ve made that as clear as we possibly could, and may have chosen not to accept our terms.”
He went on to detail that the U.S. needs a more firm commitment from the Tehran regime about not developing a nuclear weapon to move towards an agreement.
“The simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term? We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will,” Vance said. He also claimed the delegation left negotiators and the Iranian delegation with an “understanding that is our final and best offer.”
“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” he added.
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