US to blockade ships entering or exiting Iranian ports after talks fail

Washington: The United States will begin enforcing a sweeping maritime blockade of vessels entering or exiting Iranian ports from April 13, escalating tensions after high-stakes talks between Washington and Tehran failed to yield agreement on key issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

The move, announced by US Central Command (CENTCOM), follows a presidential directive and will target “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports”, including those along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations,” CENTCOM said, adding that US forces would not impede ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. The blockade would begin at 7.30 pm IST on Monday, as per a CENTCOM release.

Commercial mariners have been advised to monitor official navigation warnings and remain in contact with US naval forces while operating in the region.

The announcement came hours after US President Donald Trump declared that negotiations with Iran had stalled over its nuclear ambitions, despite progress on other fronts.

“Most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not,” Trump said, announcing that the US Navy would begin “the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave” the Strait of Hormuz.

He accused Iran of “WORLD EXTORTION” by leveraging threats of naval mines in the strait, a critical global energy corridor. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he said, adding that US forces would also “begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits.”

Iran, however, pushed back sharply, suggesting the blockade derailed near-final negotiations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had engaged “in good faith to end war” and was “just inches away” from an agreement before encountering “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.”

“Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity,” he said.

Analysts tracking the conflict say the dispute centres on Iran’s use of uncertainty around naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz to pressure global shipping. The Institute for the Study of War said Iran had declared a “hazardous area” covering key shipping lanes, forcing vessels into Iranian territorial waters where they were subjected to “protection fees”.

“This protection racket is illegal under maritime law,” the group said, noting that no state bordering a strait can restrict passage or extract fees under international conventions.

The threat of mines — reportedly fewer than a dozen — has driven up oil prices and shipping insurance costs, even without direct attacks, analysts said.

US naval forces have begun operations to counter that strategy. Destroyers, including USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy, have transited the strait to demonstrate safe passage and begin mine-clearing efforts. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said safe routes would be shared with civilian shipping “as soon as possible”.

IANS