President Trump declared on Sunday that he was ordering the US Navy to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US military announced it would begin blocking all ships leaving or traveling to Iranian ports starting at 10:00 am Eastern Time on Monday morning.
Trump’s declaration came after US and Iranian officials held about 20 hours of talks in Pakistan that didn’t result in a deal. He said that the US and Iran were at an impasse on the nuclear issue, as Washington is still demanding that Tehran commit to zero nuclear enrichment. Another major sticking point is the fact that Israel has refused to enact a ceasefire in Lebanon and has continued major airstrikes on the country that have massacred hundreds of civilians since the US-Iran truce started.
“So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“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 by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them. THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted,” he added.