President Donald Trump said the United States would block the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks with Iran collapsed over the weekend. Trump posted on social media: "As the most powerful navy in the world, starting today, the U.S. Navy will begin enforcing a blockade on any ship trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz."
Vice President J.D. Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the region on Sunday after 21 hours of talks with senior Iranian officials. The collapse of Pakistan-brokered talks aimed at ending a six-week war puts a ceasefire agreement reached last week in jeopardy and Trump's comments pose more risks to the agreement.
Iran's semi-official media said the United States had made "excessive" demands, while the country's foreign ministry said it was normal for one round of negotiations to fail to resolve differences, leaving room for continued negotiations in the future.
Trump said that Iran may lay mines in the critical waterway of the Strait of Hormuz and that their approach of requiring passing ships to pay tolls is "blackmail on the world, and leaders, especially the United States of America, will never accept blackmail."
Trump also extended the threat to international waters, saying the U.S. Navy would intercept any ship that paid Iran a passage fee, saying "anyone who pays illegal fees will not receive safe passage on the high seas."