President Trump announced that the United States will begin enforcing a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports beginning April 13 at 10:00 a.m. EDT, and will impose a partial blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil, liquefied natural gas and other cargo. U.S. Central Command said vessels transiting to and from non-Iranian ports would still be allowed to pass through the strait.
The announcement followed weekend talks in Islamabad among U.S., Iranian and Pakistani negotiators that ended without a peace agreement. Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said the key impasse was Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistani officials are pressing to revive what they call the “Islamabad Process” and are seeking a second round of talks before the current ceasefire — scheduled to expire around April 22 — lapses.
Iran’s military condemned the planned naval measures as “illegal,” calling them piracy and 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 drive energy prices higher and taunted U.S. pump prices.
The United Kingdom signaled it will not join the U.S. blockade. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC that Britain is focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to ease surging energy costs and has ruled out direct military involvement. A senior NATO military official told CBS News that the U.K. is leading planning with a coalition of more than 40 countries — many NATO members — to restore access to the strait and protect freedom of navigation, including pre-positioning assets and weighing options for when and how to act.
Since hostilities began, Iran has exerted tighter control over shipping through the narrow waterway. Normally roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG transits the Strait of Hormuz; shipping levels have been only a fraction of normal since strikes and other actions escalated beginning Feb. 28.
Other developments and context from Islamabad and the region:
– Vice President Vance returned to Washington after a roughly 56-hour trip to Pakistan; U.S. officials said no agreement was reached on U.S. “red lines,” which include demands that Iran end uranium enrichment, dismantle major enrichment facilities, surrender highly enriched uranium, and stop support for groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Iran also resisted fully reopening the strait unless it could charge passage tolls.
– Pakistan’s government — including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who helped convene the talks — is urging both sides to resume negotiations quickly to try to secure a deal before the ceasefire ends.
– Human rights groups report a worsening situation in Iran: two NGOs said Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, and warned executions could be used more broadly to suppress dissent after January protests and during the ongoing war.
– President Trump publicly criticized Pope Leo XIV on social media and to reporters after the pontiff called for peace and condemned threats to destroy Iranian civilization.
– Energy markets responded sharply to the heightened tensions; AAA and other outlets reported significant pump price increases as uncertainty over access to the strait and future supplies pushed costs up.
The situation remains fluid. U.S. Central Command’s decision to allow passage for ships transiting to and from non-Iranian ports reflects an effort to target Iran’s maritime commerce while limiting broader disruption, but Tehran’s threats of retaliation, varied international responses and the potential for further escalation leave the regional outlook uncertain.