US President Donald Trump took decisive action on Sunday, ordering the US Navy to block the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping lane after Iran refused to abandon its nuclear ambitions and peace talks in Pakistan collapsed without agreement.
Underscoring the regime’s aggressive posture in the region, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a stark warning, claiming full control over traffic in the strategic waterway and threatening to trap any adversary attempting to challenge it “in a deadly vortex.”
Trump made clear that his ultimate objective was to clear the strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping while ensuring Iran could no longer exploit its grip on the waterway.
“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 said.
“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!”
Iran has already been restricting traffic through the strait, a key artery for global shipments of oil, gas and fertiliser—while allowing vessels linked to friendly nations such as China to pass.
There have also been unconfirmed reports that Tehran plans to impose tolls on shipping, which Trump described as “world extortion.”
“I have also instructed our 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. We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits,” Trump said.
The US military said on Saturday that two Navy warships had passed through the strait to begin clearing mines and open up a “safe pathway” for tankers, a claim Tehran quickly pushed back on. Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Sunday that two Pakistani-flagged oil tankers heading toward the strait turned around as fears of renewed conflict continued to rattle an already tense region.
In an interview, Trump once again warned that Iran’s energy infrastructure could be in the crosshairs. He also cautioned that the US would slap a 50% tariff on Chinese imports if Beijing were found to be helping Iran’s military.
“I could take out Iran in one day. I could have their entire energy, everything, every one of their plants, their electric generating plants, which is a big deal,” he said.
The president’s latest ultimatum appears to have been sparked by the collapse of talks aimed at ending the six-week-old war, with no deal in sight.
Iran’s refusal to give up what it sees as its right to a nuclear programme frustrated the US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, along with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as talks ultimately broke down.
The collapse of the talks is likely to heighten fears that fighting could flare up again, potentially pushing global energy prices higher and causing more disruption to shipping, as well as oil and gas infrastructure.