U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, April 10, 2026.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
president Donald Trump On Sunday he said the US was blocking the US Strait of Hormuz after talks in Pakistan to end the Iran The war was faltering.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the best in the world, will begin blocking any ships attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform truth social. “The blockade will begin soon. Other countries will be involved in this blockade. Iran will not be allowed to benefit from this illegal act of extortion.”
The announcement of a US blockade of the strait is likely to dash any hopes of an end to the war in the coming days Peace talks in Islamabad. It also threatens to deepen the economic crisis that has gripped the global economy since the war broke out and Iran has begun restricting access to the strait, a chokepoint that transports about a fifth of the world’s population oil.
Trump said the U.S. blockade was an attempt to stop Iran from policing the strait and profiting economically from it while the rest of the world suffered from the closure.
“At some point we will reach the principle that ALL MAY IN, ALL MAY OUT, but Iran hasn’t allowed that to happen by simply saying, ‘Maybe there’s a mine out there somewhere’ that no one knows about except them,” he said. “This is global blackmail, and leaders of countries, especially the United States of America, are never blackmailed.”
Trump said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the action would be a “complete blockade” and “all or nothing,” meaning no ship will be allowed to pass until Iran gives in.
Trump also announced in the post that the U.S. Navy would “search for and block any ship in international waters that has paid tariffs to Iran.”
Iran was preparing for this Toll ships Search for a passage through the strait, a step that was called Trump’s anger while Tehran tries to consolidate its hold on the passage within two weeks armistice in conflict.
“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” the president said.
The Pakistan-hosted peace talks failed because of what the United States called Iran’s unwillingness to give up its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. Tehran’s demands include control of the Strait of Hormuz, payment of war reparations and a ceasefire across the region, including in Lebanon, according to Iranian state television and officials. It is also seeking the release of its frozen assets abroad.
The US delegation led by the Vice President JD Vancemet with Iranian and Pakistani negotiators for more than 21 hours during the rare in-person summit.
The war and the almost complete closure of the strait have put enormous pressure on oil prices and the global economy. Markets fluctuated wildly throughout the campaign, with oil prices rising to over $100 per barrel at times.
Trump on Fox said the US must weather the storm to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and argued that energy prices would fall when the war was over.
“It may not happen at first, but it will subside,” he said.
The president also said that any country – possibly including China – that supports Iran would be hit with a 50% tariff imposed by the United States
“If we catch them doing this, they will get a 50% tariff, which is a staggering amount,” Trump said.
Trump is expected to meet with the Chinese president Xi Jinping next month.
