After the failure of negotiations this weekend in Islamabad, Washington has decided to take action in response to Tehran’s refusal to make concessions on nuclear issues.
Donald Trump announced on Sunday an American naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Iran’s “intransigent” refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions during the negotiations in Islamabad over the weekend. While acknowledging that the discussions in Pakistan were “well” and “most points had been agreed upon”, the American president stated on his Truth Social platform that Tehran had refused to compromise on the nuclear issue.
“From now on, the US Navy, the best in the world, will begin the process of BLOCKING all ships attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote about the strategic maritime route through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes and is located between Iran and Oman.
In two lengthy messages, the American president warned: “Any Iranian who shoots at us, or at peaceful ships, will be OBLITERATED!” suggesting that “other countries” would be involved in the blockade effort, without naming them. This announcement comes as negotiations in Islamabad between the United States and Iran failed on Sunday, casting doubt on the two-week truce currently in place. The President of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation, criticized the United States as “incapable” according to him of gaining Iran’s trust during the discussions.
On Saturday, the US military announced that two American warships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz, marking the start of a mine-clearing operation. Claims denied by Tehran. The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, had subsequently threatened to act “harshly” against any military ship passing through the strait.
