US President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping naval operation targeting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit chokepoints, in a move that risks deepening the global crisis and further complicating ties with Beijing ahead of next month’s summit.
“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 in a social media post on Sunday.
He added that “at some point, we will reach an ‘all being allowed to go in, all being allowed to go out’ basis”, saying he had instructed the US Navy to “seek and interdict” vessels in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.
US Navy to interdict ships paying tolls to Iran
Mines in the strait to be cleared
Warning of military retaliation against Iranian action
The announcement came after 21 hours of talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan ended without an agreement.
The failure casts doubt over the future of a ceasefire that capped more than a month of intensifying conflict, triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
In the weeks since those strikes, Iran has retaliated by disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, affecting global oil and gas supply chains and pushing up fuel prices.
Tehran has reportedly adopted a “selective passage” system:
Limited transit allowed under direct arrangements
India, Pakistan and the Philippines among those securing passage
China-linked vessels also allowed under similar understandings
The proposed US blockade aims to end this system, with Trump saying other countries may assist.
Responding to reports that Beijing could send weapons to Tehran, Trump threatened a 50 percent tariff on Chinese imports if confirmed, while also dismissing such reports as “fake”.
The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the claim. With just over a month to go before Trump’s planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, the issue risks complicating ongoing trade negotiations.
Asked whether the move would push up energy prices ahead of November’s midterm elections, Trump said prices “could be lower” or “maybe a little higher”.
Analysts, however, warned of wider risks:
Further disruption to global trade flows
Potential spike in oil and gas prices
Broader economic shock waves worldwide
Ahead of the talks, Trump had floated a US-Iran joint mechanism to manage the strait, an idea rejected by Tehran.
He also described Iran’s toll collection as an “illegal act of extortion” and warned of military escalation.
While Trump said “most points” in negotiations were settled, the talks ended in a deadlock over Iran’s refusal to dismantle its nuclear programme.
Core dispute remains Iran’s nuclear ambitions
US insists on dismantling programme
Tehran unwilling to concede
Earlier, Iran’s embassy in Austria warned that “a blockade blocks” and cannot reopen the strait, urging flexibility and restraint in negotiations.
