The United States launched a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, intensifying efforts to force Tehran back to nuclear negotiations just hours after talks in Islamabad collapsed without a deal.
Vice President JD Vance, who spearheaded the U.S. delegation with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, told Fox News that Iran now bears responsibility for the next steps in diplomacy.
“Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table,” Vance said. He added that compliance with America’s non-negotiable limits on Iran’s nuclear programme could yield benefits for both sides, describing it as “a very, very good deal for both countries.”
President Donald Trump justified the blockade as essential to counter Iran’s wartime closure of the vital oil shipping lane, which carries 20 per cent of global supplies and has sent Brent crude prices soaring 15 per cent to over $95 a barrel since hostilities erupted, according to Reuters data.
“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world, because that’s what they’re doing,” Trump declared.
The fragile 14-day ceasefire initiated last week partly depended on Iran reopening the strait fully, Vance explained, but Tehran has fallen short. “We need to see the Strait of Hormuz fully open. And this is, frankly, one of the things where the Iranians tried to move the goalposts during the negotiation,” he said.
Without further action, he warned, “it’s going to fundamentally change the negotiation that we have with them.” The measures aim to ramp up economic leverage on a regime strained by sanctions.
Sticking points included Trump’s demands to remove Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles and install verification mechanisms to prevent nuclear weapon development, echoing tensions from the defunct 2015 nuclear accord. While Vance noted tentative progress, the sides parted ways.
“It’s a question that would be best put to the Iranians, because the ball really is in their court,” Vance replied when asked about future talks. “There really is, I think, a grand deal to be had here, but it’s up to the Iranians, I think, to take the next step.” He affirmed Trump’s offer as serious, adding, “The president wants the Iranian people to thrive and succeed.”