Trump Turns the Blockade Into the Whole Policy
Trump is no longer pretending the naval blockade is a temporary squeeze. Bloomberg says he has vowed to keep it in place, even as commanders brief him on more military options and allies are being pitched on a new maritime coalition for Hormuz.
That means the war is drifting from battlefield action into economic strangulation as statecraft. Tehran says the blockade is driving oil higher and must be lifted before real talks can begin, while Trump keeps insisting the pressure is “incredible” and that Iran’s economy is “crashing.”
The irony is obvious. Washington says it wants negotiations, but it is also trying to choke the waterway that makes those negotiations possible. That is less a peace strategy than a siege wrapped in diplomacy.
And the costs are already spreading. Oil is surging, the Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut, and even the coalition-building effort now comes with an asterisk: allies want a ceasefire first, not a permanent American blockade by another name.
So Trump’s line is simple, but the system underneath it is not. The blockade is supposed to force Iran to yield. So far, it is mostly forcing everyone else to pay more.
#Trump#Iran#Hormuz#blockade#oil#war
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Trump ordered the blockade following the US-Iran talks in Islamabad that ended after 21 hours without an agreement.
The tactic is aimed at strangling Iran's heavily oil-dependent economy and forcing Tehran to respond to US demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ships from the ports of the Gulf allies and accept a complete ban on uranium enrichment.
Miad Maleki, a former US Treasury official now at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said on Twitter that the US naval blockade would cost Iran about $276 million per day in lost exports and disrupt $159 million per day in imports – representing a combined economic damage of $13 billion per month.
Mohammad Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament who also headed his country's delegation in Islamabad, told the Americans on Sunday in an article on X to “take advantage of the current figures at the pump", taunting Washington with a historical political sensitivity of the United States on gasoline prices.
“With the so-called 'blockade', you will soon have nostalgia for gasoline at 4 or 5 dollars,” Ghalibaf added.
The current average price of gasoline in the United States is $4.13 per gallon, compared to $2.98 before the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28.
He conceded Sunday that gasoline prices could be the same as today or higher when the nation votes in the congressional elections, telling Fox News that they could go “a little higher.”
Trump had reacted angrily to the criticism of the American-born pope over the administration's use of religious language to justify its war in Iran.
He called him “weak on crime“ and ”terrible for foreign policy," and published an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ figure caring for the sick, an image widely condemned as blasphemous.
On Monday, Trump claimed that the image (dressed in loose red and white dresses and the light emanating from his hands) was intended to present him as “a doctor".
Iranian President Pezeshkian spoke out on Monday against what he called the "desecration of Jesus".
“I condemn the insult to Your Excellency in the name of the great Iranian nation and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person.”
The Pope told reporters on Monday that he had “no intention of debating” with Trump on Iran and added that he would “continue to speak out loudly against war, seeking to promote peace, to promote dialogue and multilateral relations between states to seek just solutions to problems”.
The US-Israeli bombing of Iran has ceased under a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, which began on Wednesday. Trump said that US forces remain "locked and loaded" and ready to ”finish off what little is left of Iran".
Trump's claims that other countries would help enforce the US blockade, none came forward.
Starmer was adamant that his country did not support the blockade and that “we will not allow ourselves to be dragged into the war”.
Macron, meanwhile, said Paris would hold a conference with the UK and other countries to create a multinational mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but made it clear that this would come after the conflict.
#trump#blockade#iran#hormuz#detroit
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Jeffrey Sachs: “Trump Will Attack Iran Within Two Weeks”
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The US blockade of ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf has come into force, turning the six-week-old conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and Iran into a test of economic endurance.
The US Central Command (Centcom) has not made any official announcement of the start of the blockade, but had said that it would begin on Monday at 17:30 Iranian time and would apply to all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas, while ships using non-Iranian ports would not be hindered.
Trump claimed that 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf, on Sunday, but there was no evidence to support this claim. Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president also affirmed “We have been called by the other party”, which, according to him“ "would very badly like to conclude an agreement".
Throughout the conflict, which began with a US-Israeli attack on February 28, Trump has frequently claimed that Tehran has been in direct contact, desperately seeking an agreement, but these claims have never been substantiated.
Iran warned that ordinary Americans would pay the cost of Trump's latest decision in the form of higher gasoline prices, and also vowed that if the United States started bombing again, the Tehran regime was ready to retaliate.
For his part, Trump said that any Iranian attack boat approaching the American flotilla in the region would be "immediately eliminated". The American political analyst Jeff Sachs says that “Trump will attack Iran within two weeks.”
It appeared on Monday that the US naval forces would try to enforce the blockade east of the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman, beyond the easy range of Iranian missiles and drones. It was still unclear how Centcom intended to stop any oil tanker trying to break the blockade.
A missile attack could cause an environmental catastrophe, leaving open the possibility that American forces would seek to board and take control of any ship that did not obey American instructions.
Trump said that all Iranian "fast attack ships“ would be eliminated if they approached American ships enforcing the blockade with ”the same killing system" that the United States used to sink almost 50 small boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.
They killed at that time at least 168 people who, according to him, without evidence, were involved in drug trafficking.
#trump#blockade#iran#hormuz#detroit
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🚀 U.S. to Impose Blockade on Iranian Ports Amid Tensions
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform that the United States will enforce a blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on April 13. According to BlockBeats, this decision follows unsuccessful negotiations between the United States and Iran.
On April 12, President Trump expressed indifference towards Iran's willingness to return to the negotiating table. He reiterated the plan to impose the blockade and voiced disappointment over NATO's lack of support for the U.S. in the conflict involving Iran.
#US#Iran#blockade#Trump#NATO#tensions#MiddleEast#sanctions#diplomacy
🚀 CENTCOM to Enforce Blockade on Iranian Maritime Traffic
CENTCOM has announced a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports, effective April 13 at 10 a.m. ET. According to NS3.AI, this directive applies to vessels of any flag or ownership within Iranian coastal waters, including ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian ports will maintain freedom of navigation. CENTCOM has not specified the duration of the blockade and stated that further guidance will be provided.
#CENTCOM#Iran#Maritime#Blockade#StraitOfHormuz#ArabianGulf#GulfOfOman#NavalOperations
🚀 John Bolton Advocates for Blockade Following Failed Iran Peace Talks
Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has suggested that a blockade could be a sensible approach after peace negotiations with Iran did not succeed. Bloomberg posted on X, highlighting Bolton's comments made during a discussion with journalists Eena Ruffini and Tim Steno. Bolton's remarks come amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, following unsuccessful diplomatic efforts to resolve disputes. The former advisor's stance reflects a more aggressive strategy in dealing with Iran, as diplomatic channels have yet to yield positive results.
#JohnBolton#Iran#USIranRelations#Blockade#Diplomacy#PeaceTalks#InternationalRelations#MiddleEast#USPolitics#ForeignPolicy
🚀 UK Declines Participation in US Strait of Hormuz Blockade
Informed sources have revealed that the United Kingdom will not join the United States in a blockade operation in the Strait of Hormuz, following an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that the US Navy would block the waterway. According to NS3.AI, a UK government spokesperson emphasized the country's commitment to freedom of navigation and stated that the UK is collaborating with France and other partners to form a coalition aimed at safeguarding the route.
#UK#US#StraitOfHormuz#Blockade#NavalOperations#FreedomOfNavigation#InternationalRelations#Coalition#MaritimeSecurity