President Trump’s Hormuz Masterstroke: Blockade Enforced After Iran Talks Collapse
The timeline from the last update suggests a pivotal update from President Trump was missed on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Approximately 9.5 hours after Vice President JD Vance departed Pakistan, the negotiations had fallen flat due to Iran’s refusal to agree to the United States demands. President Trump unleashed two posts simultaneously at 11:30 a.m. EDT. While the meeting went well, President Trump says the only point that really mattered, nuclear arms, was not agreed to.
In the posts, it was announced that the United States Navy was going to blockade any ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, stating that eventually all will be allowed to pass, but Iran isn’t allowing it to happen, as Iran alluded that there may be a mine out there somewhere. The president also said there had been instructions to stop those paying what he saw as illegal tolls being imposed on ships stuck in the Straits.
President Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Plan
He planned to clear any mines laid in the water, waiting for unsuspecting ships, and to threaten that anyone who fired upon them or peaceful ships nearby would be dealt with swiftly. The Strait is considered an international waterway, and, if Iran’s threat is to be believed, it is now a dangerous place for any ship. Just a little more than an hour later, at 12:48 p.m. EDT, the Israeli Prime Minister made a post on X to the Israeli people about the security zone in Lebanon and the clean-up that lay before them as they ensured no hiding place. This corrects a timeline mishap in previous reporting.
According to reporting by The Guardian, U.S. Central Command issued a statement on Sunday that the blockade would begin on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards declared any warship that approaches the Strait would be a breach of the ceasefire, insisting the Strait would be under their control. Despite them saying it was under their control, the day prior saw U.S. destroyers crossing and recrossing the Strait unbothered, with Iranian media saying they had threatened the destroyers as they departed. Regardless of the claim, it served as proof of concept that the Strait could be navigated, despite Iran’s claim that it was under its control.
Plans Heading into Action
The Times of Israel reported that Iran’s IRGC set security forces on the Strait of Hormuz, creating a shipping bottleneck with a warning that a deadly vortex would come upon any enemy that made any wrong moves. Civilian vessels complying with their open order would have harmless passage, while military ships would be in violation of the ceasefire. These statements from the IRGC ran contrary to President Trump’s earlier posts on reopening the Strait to all and that Iran shouldn’t profit from controlling the waterways.
The threatened blockade from President Trump saw Brent crude rise early in the day on April 13, 2026, potentially due to the failure to reach an agreement over the weekend. Surprisingly, it came back down after the blockade was said to be in full force at 10 a.m. EDT, with the claim that the Iranians had gotten in touch with him. In another one of his Truth Social posts at 10:23 a.m. PDT, he said Iranian fast-attack ships that approached the blockade would be eliminated using the system of kill used against drug runners at sea, describing it as “quick and brutal.”
Unexpected Transit on The Strait of Hormuz
The International Business Times of the UK said Monday, amid President Trump’s blockade, Beijing ships were declared to resume trade and energy ties with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz. The Chinese Defense Minister, Admiral Dong Jun, had remarked on their respect for Iran, noting that Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz. It is through their respect and honoring of the standing agreements that China considered the way open to their ships.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command had begun implementing the blockade at 10 a.m. EDT, though specific operation targets were vessels of all nations that headed for or left Iranian ports and coastal areas. They had no intention of stopping any ships on the Strait of Hormuz coming from or heading to non-Iranian ports.
This distinction was not in President Trump’s initial Truth Social post, meaning Chinese vessels going to non-Iranian ports wouldn’t be stopped and questioned. Beijing’s statement did not acknowledge this either. Throughout the conflict, China had been one of a limited number of countries permitted transit on the Strait of Hormuz; any disruption of their shipments would directly impact their oil supply and Iran’s revenue, as they are the world’s largest importer and biggest Iranian petroleum buyer.
The State of the Strait
From previous reporting from Nation Thailand in March, before the blockade, the only ships blocked from using the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz were ships linked to the U.S., Israel, and any of their Western allies. While the U.S. blockade was ongoing, U.S. allies were taking a stand, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer going on air to declare they did not support the blockade and were focused on fully opening the Strait. France’s Emmanuel Macron said Paris and London were jointly hosting a conference to coordinate restoring freedom of navigation, as Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the blockade made no sense.
