US President Donald Trump has said America will begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil route, after peace talks with Iran fell apart in Pakistan. The announcement came suddenly, just hours after negotiations between the two sides in Islamabad ended without a deal. The blockade, if fully enforced, would mark a major escalation and could push the region closer to open conflict.
Meanwhile, US Navy destroyers are now operating inside the strait, something not seen since this conflict began on February 28.
Why Trump wants Hormuz blockade and How will it work?
The blockade comes right after high-stakes talks in Islamabad broke down. US Vice President JD Vance, who was leading the American side, confirmed that the team is heading back without any agreement.
“We gave Tehran a final and best offer to surrender its nuclear ambitions and end the regional maritime conflict,” Vance said. “They chose maximalism over peace. The Islamabad talks are over.” On the other side, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said both sides were “inches away” from a deal before the US suddenly “shifted the goalposts.”
US Central Command will start enforcing it at 10:00 am EDT (5:30 pm Iran time). Washington is calling this an attempt to break Iran’s “permission-based” system in the strait. Over the past month, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been controlling parts of the route and reportedly charging commercial ships more than $1 million as a toll for safe passage.
Trump has called these charges illegal. “I have instructed the Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage. It is all or none.”
How the blockade will work
A blockade, as defined in US naval guidelines, is a military move to stop all ships, whether friendly or hostile, from entering or leaving certain areas controlled by an enemy. Trump first said the blockade would begin “effective immediately”, but later told Fox News it would take a little time to fully put in place.
“It will take a little while, but it will be effective pretty soon,” he said, calling it an “all or none” approach. The US Central Command explained that the blockade would apply to all ships heading to or from Iranian ports, including those along the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Trump said other countries would take part in the effort, but did not name them. Still, Trump said that NATO had offered to help “clean out” the strait, suggesting it could soon be safe for normal use again. He added that minesweepers would be deployed, and claimed that the UK and a few other countries would also send similar vessels.
Shipping expert Lars Jensen told the BBC that only a small number of vessels are currently moving through the strait anyway. “If this is actually done by the Americans, it will halt a very tiny trickle of vessels. In the greater scheme of things, it doesn’t really change anything,” he said. He also pointed out that very few ships are actually paying Iran’s tolls, and those that do are already risking US sanctions.
How will Hormuz blockade impact India, China other countries
After the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was announced, the rules of movement at sea have changed overnight. What matters now is not just where a ship is from, but where it is going, and what it has done along the way. The US Central Command has said the blockade applies to everyone. It doesn’t matter if a ship is Indian, Chinese or from anywhere else, the rules are the same.
But according to Trump’s statement, the key question is simple: is the ship going to Iran, or somewhere else? If an Indian tanker is trying to enter or leave an Iranian port, places like Kharg Island or Bandar Abbas, it will be stopped. The US Navy has made it clear that such ships can be intercepted, turned back, or blocked completely.
But if the same tanker is just passing through the strait on its way to another country, say Kuwait, Iraq or the UAE, then it will be allowed to move.
Countries like India depend heavily on this route, not just for oil, but also for key supplies like fertilisers. Nearly 60% of their energy and fertiliser needs pass through this narrow stretch of water. That’s why the situation is so worrying.
With around 150 oil tankers already stuck and unable to move, shipping costs are rising fast. Delays are building up, and the ripple effects are beginning to show.
The bigger plan behind the move
The US wants to choke off a key source of money for Iran’s military by stopping ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports. At the same time, it is trying to break Iran’s hold over the strait, especially the system where some ships were allowed through while others were not. Washington seems to be using this move to push Iran back into talks and force it to give up its nuclear ambitions, the same issue that derailed the Islamabad negotiations.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has responded with strong warnings, saying the strait is still under its control. It warned that any US action could turn the area into a “deadly vortex” for enemy ships.
Oil prices jump, markets on edge
The reaction was immediate. Oil prices surged as soon as markets opened on Monday.
Brent crude jumped more than 7% to $102.31 a barrel, while WTI climbed to $104.43. Experts warn this could hit Asian economies the hardest. Countries like Japan, South Korea and China rely heavily on oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz, nearly 20% of the world’s supply moves through this narrow route.
21-hour talks end with no breakthrough
The decision followed long, face-to-face talks between US and Iranian officials that stretched for 21 hours. Vance later said Iran had refused to step back from the possibility of developing nuclear weapons. “We need to see an affirmative commitment that [Iran] will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
Iran, however, told a different story. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation, said they had come forward with “constructive initiatives” but the US had failed to build trust. Iran’s foreign ministry also suggested the US was asking for too much, calling its demands “excessive.”
The negotiations in Islamabad were some of the highest-level direct contact between the US and Iran since 1979. Alongside Vance, the US team included Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. They met Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, at the Serena Hotel. Pakistan played host, with its army chief Asim Munir also present during discussions.