US President Donald Trump on Sunday, April 12, said the US Navy will immediately begin the process of blockading the Strait of Hormuz, hours after talks with Iran in Islamabad ended without agreement.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the US Navy would start “the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave” the strategic waterway, a vital route for global oil shipments.
“At some point, we will reach an ‘ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen,” he wrote, blaming Tehran for restricting safe maritime passage.
He further stated that US forces would target vessels accused of paying what he described as “illegal tolls” to Iran. “I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” Trump said. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”
The escalation follows prolonged negotiations between Washington and Tehran hosted in Islamabad, which failed to resolve key disputes, particularly over Iran’s nuclear programme. Officials familiar with the talks described the discussions as tense, with no breakthrough despite hours of engagement.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, carries a significant portion of the world’s oil exports, making any disruption a potential trigger for global energy market volatility.
Trump also accused Iran of using threats such as naval mines to justify restricting passage, calling it “world extortion”, and warned of further military action if US or allied vessels were targeted.
The latest developments have heightened concerns of a broader escalation in the Gulf region, with the possibility of other countries joining any maritime enforcement effort. Analysts warn that any blockade or disruption in the Strait could have far-reaching geopolitical and economic consequences.
US official says Iran rejected key demand
A senior US official, quoted by Reuters, said Iran has rejected several key demands in the ongoing negotiations, underscoring the deadlock between the two sides.
According to the official, Tehran turned down calls to end uranium enrichment and dismantle major enrichment facilities. Iran also rejected proposals to stop funding groups including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, as well as demands to fully open the Strait of Hormuz.
Pope Leo XIV calls to protect civilians in Lebanon
Pope Leo XIV, who visited Lebanon late last year, expressed his solidarity with the Lebanese people on Sunday and stressed a “moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war”.
Oman urges extension of US-Iran ceasefire
Badr Al Busaidi, Foreign Minister of Oman, has called for an extension of the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
In a post on X, Al Busaidi said that following a conversation with US Vice President JD Vance before the conflict, both he and US President Donald Trump had a “genuine and strong preference” to avoid conflict.
“Success may require everyone to make painful concessions, but this is nothing compared to the pain of failure and war,” he said.
Trump defends ‘all or none’ Hormuz blockade
Defending his proposed blockade, US President Donald Trump said Iran cannot control which ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that either all vessels should have safe passage or none will.
“We’re not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like,” Trump told Fox News. “It’s going to be all or none, and that’s the way it is.”
He said the planned blockade would be similar to US measures imposed on Venezuela, but on a larger scale, suggesting it could redirect oil trade flows. Trump also reiterated threats to target Iran’s energy infrastructure, claiming he could destroy key facilities within a day.
Tankers turn back amid Hormuz uncertainty
Two empty tankers bound for the Strait of Hormuz turned around after news emerged on Sunday that US-Iran talks ended without a longer-term peace deal, according to ship tracking firm Vortexa.
One of the vessels, linked to Pakistan, doubled back and was waiting just outside the Strait, Pamela Munger, head of Europe market analysis at Vortexa, told CNN. She said the movements indicate that control of the waterway “is still very much in the hands of the Iranians”.
Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
Israeli air strikes have hit multiple locations in southern Lebanon, including the outskirts of Deir Qanun al-Nahr, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.Two additional raids reportedly targeted the towns of Shakra and Al-Bazouriya. There was no immediate information on casualties or damage
Sharif says US-Iran talks at ‘stalemate’
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the US-Iran negotiations are not over despite failing to reach a deal, describing the situation as a “stalemate”.
“The talks are not dead. There’s a stalemate,” Sharif said in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, after hosting the high-level negotiations in Islamabad.
Two Pakistani tankers turn back at Hormuz
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that two oil tankers sailing under Pakistani flags turned around at the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting they were unable to make the passage.
The tankers, identified as Khairpur and Shalamar, were said to have reversed course amid ongoing uncertainty and restrictions in the strategic waterway.
Iran says civilian ships can pass through Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to the “harmless passage of civilian vessels” in line with international law, while warning against the presence of foreign military forces.
In a statement, the Guards said any military vessels approaching the waterway would be in violation of the ceasefire and “will be dealt with severely”, reinforcing earlier warnings of a strong response to unauthorised military transit.
Saudi Arabia summons Iraq envoy over drone attacks
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Riyadh, Safia Taleb Al-Suhail, over what it described as “continued aggressions and threats” against the Kingdom and other Gulf states launched by drones from Iraqi territory.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry’s Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Saud Al-Sati, handed the ambassador a formal protest note condemning the attacks and demanding that Iraq take responsibility for threats originating from its soil.
Iran Guards warn of ‘deadly vortex’ in Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said Iranian security forces had the Strait of Hormuz under full control, warning that any adversary would be trapped in a “deadly vortex” if it made a miscalculation.
“All traffic… is under the full control of the armed forces,” the Guards’ Naval Command said in a Persian-language post on X, after US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait.
“The enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex in the Strait if it makes the wrong move,” it added, alongside a video appearing to show vessels in crosshairs, AFP reported.
Trump warns China of ‘staggering’ tariffs over Iran support
US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened China with “staggering” new tariffs on its goods entering the United States if Beijing provides military assistance to Iran during the West Asia war.
“If we catch them doing that, they get a 50 percent tariff, which is a staggering — that’s a staggering amount,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, according to AFP.
Armed skiff approaches vessel off Yemen coast
A sailing vessel was approached by a skiff carrying armed men about 54 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday.
UKMTO said the skiff was turned away after the vessel’s master deployed a flare, and the crew were reported safe, Reuters reported.
Kuwait arrests 24 over ‘terror financing’ probe
Kuwait has arrested 24 people, including five former lawmakers, as part of an investigation into the “financing of terrorist entities”, authorities said.
Israel says war costs exceed USD 11bn
Israel’s finance ministry said the war it launched on Iran with the United States has cost the country more than USD 11bn, according to a preliminary estimate.
The ministry cited 35bn shekels (USD 11.52bn) in budgetary expenses, with 22bn shekels allocated to defence. The amount has already been incorporated into Israel’s 2026 budget, it added.
Iran says over 3,300 killed in war
The head of Iran’s Forensic Medicine Organisation, Abbas Masjedi Arani, said authorities have identified the bodies of 3,375 people killed during the US-Israel war on Iran.
In a statement to Iranian media, Arani said the death toll included 2,875 men and nearly 500 women, offering one of the clearest official breakdowns so far of casualties from the conflict.
ADNOC chief warns against Hormuz disruption
The Strait of Hormuz has never been Iran’s to close or restrict navigation through, said Sultan Al-Jaber, chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
In a post on X, he said any disruption would threaten energy, food and health security worldwide, warning that setting such a precedent would be “dangerous and unacceptable”. “The world simply cannot afford it and must not allow it,” he added.
Iran says over 900 schools damaged in conflict
At least 942 schools across Iran have been damaged, including 18 that were completely destroyed, an Iranian government spokesperson said, according to the Tasnim News Agency. The spokesperson added that schools requiring repairs are expected to be restored within two to three months.
Trump says Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions
In a second post on his Truth Social platform, the US president Donald Trump said Iran had failed to keep its promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of causing global anxiety and disruption.
He alleged that Iran had threatened the waterway by suggesting the presence of naval mines, saying this had deterred shipping despite uncertainty over their existence. Trump also said he had been briefed on the Islamabad talks by senior officials, adding that the key issue remained Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions,” he said, reiterating that no agreement would be acceptable if Tehran retained nuclear capabilities.
