By Brian Dakss
Updated April 13, 2026 / 5:25 AM EDT — CBS News
President Trump announced that the United States will begin blockading ships entering or exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10:00 a.m. EDT and will also partially blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil, liquefied natural gas and other goods. The U.S. Central Command said vessels transiting to and from non-Iranian ports would be allowed passage through the strait.
The move follows weekend talks in Islamabad among U.S., Iranian and Pakistani negotiators that ended without a peace agreement. Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said the main impasse was Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistani officials are pressing to revive what they now call the “Islamabad Process,” seeking a second round of talks before the current ceasefire — set to expire around April 22 — lapses.
Iran’s military condemned the planned naval blockade as “illegal” and characterized it as piracy, warning that if Iran’s ports are threatened, “no port in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe.” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned the blockade would push energy prices higher and mocked U.S. pump prices.
The U.K. signaled it will not join the U.S. blockade. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC Monday that Britain is focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to reduce surging energy prices and has ruled out direct military involvement. A senior NATO military official told CBS News the U.K. is leading planning efforts with a coalition of more than 40 countries — many from NATO — to reopen the strait and protect freedom of navigation, discussing pre-positioning assets and options for when and how to act.
Since the war began, Iran has been exerting control over traffic through the narrow waterway; roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG typically transit the strait. The flow of ships has been a fraction of normal levels amid hostilities and strikes that began Feb. 28.
Other developments and context from the Islamabad talks and the region:
– Vice President Vance returned to Washington after a 56-hour trip to Pakistan. U.S. officials say no agreement was reached on U.S. “red lines,” including Iran ending uranium enrichment, dismantling major enrichment facilities, surrendering highly enriched uranium, or ceasing support for groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Iran also balked at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz without charging passage tolls.
– Pakistan’s government — including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who helped convene the talks — is actively urging both sides to resume negotiations quickly to secure a deal before the ceasefire ends.
– Iran’s human rights situation remains dire: two NGOs reported Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989. The groups warned executions could be used more widely to suppress dissent after January protests and the ongoing war.
– President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV in social media posts and comments to reporters after the pontiff called for peace and condemned threats to destroy Iranian civilization.
– Energy markets reacted sharply to the tensions. AAA and others reported large price increases at the pump as uncertainty over strait access and supplies pushed costs higher.
The situation remains fluid. U.S. Central Command’s limited allowance for non-Iranian-port traffic while enforcing restrictions on ships to and from Iranian ports reflects an attempt to target Iran’s maritime commerce while minimizing broader disruption — but Tehran’s warnings of retaliation, the international response, and the potential for further escalation make the outlook uncertain.