US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of negotiations with Iran.
Speaking after talks ended without agreement, Trump said the US Navy could “immediately” begin intercepting vessels in international waters that have paid transit fees to Iran.
“I have instructed our navy to seek to intercept all vessels that have paid tolls to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Trump also warned that the United States was prepared to act decisively against Iran “at the appropriate time,” emphasizing that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were central to the failure of the negotiations.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Revolutionary Guard warns Hormuz “will never be the same”
The in-person talks, which lasted around 21 hours, ended early in the morning without a deal, casting uncertainty over a fragile two-week ceasefire.
US officials blamed Iran for refusing to abandon its path toward developing nuclear weapons, while Iranian authorities accused Washington of causing the breakdown, without detailing specific points of disagreement.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy route, through which a significant share of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass, raising concerns that any disruption could have major economic and geopolitical consequences.
