Published on April 12, 2026 at 20:34, Updated on April 12, 2026 at 23:16
In a climate of extreme tension around the Strait of Hormuz, Washington announces a possible naval blockade while Tehran denounces a ceasefire violation. Amid threats of sanctions, military deployments, and Russian mediation, the crisis between the United States and Iran escalates.
In the silence of a still locked-down capital, the American delegation leaves without having obtained anything. After 21 hours of tumultuous historic negotiations, J. D. Vance prefers to slam the door, he leaves Pakistan. And Donald Trump announces a fundamental change in strategy in a phone interview: “We could not agree on important issues. They want a nuclear weapon, they will not get it. So we are going to set up a complete blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. We will not allow Iran to make money by selling oil to some they like and not to others. It’s all or nothing.”
At least two American ships, the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Frank E. Peterson, are positioned on either side of the strait, ready to block everything in the coming hours. Donald Trump’s objective? Privatize and strengthen his position in negotiations and suffocate the Iranian economy. Still, on April 12, a dozen cargo ships crossed the strait. According to the United States, some would pay up to two million to Iran as passage fees. And in March, every day, Tehran would have managed to export up to one and a half million barrels of oil, a way to finance its war.
Tehran’s response: any blockade would be a violation of the ceasefire. Iran releases a video taken from a surveillance drone above the Strait of Hormuz, with threatening images and a message: “Any wrong maneuver will plunge the enemy into the deadly swirls of the strait.”
The Iranian navy claims to have forced one of the American ships to retreat after radio exchanges: “You must change course and return to the Indian Ocean immediately. This is the final warning” can be heard on the recordings.
The diplomatic solution seems to be moving away in the immediate future. Donald Trump threatens China with 50% tariffs if it militarily supports Tehran and hints at new strikes in a message on his social network: “When the time comes, we will be fully prepared to fire and our armed forces will finish off what little is left of Iran.” In the evening of April 12, it is the Russian president who offers to serve as a mediator to resolve the conflict in the Middle East.
