Donald Trump spoke after the end of the negotiations led in Islamabad on April 11, which did not result in an agreement between the United States and Iran. In a long post published on his Truth Social platform on April 12, the president announced that the US Navy will block “any ship attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz.” Trump states that “other countries” will participate in this blockade, “without providing more details,” as emphasized by The Wall Street Journal.
“Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz and did not, knowingly,” the president lamented in his post. The blockade “will be effective very quickly,” he later declared on Fox News.
“Iran effectively holds the strait hostage, imposing a toll and limiting oil exports,” in this crucial artery, as Axios points out. “Trump’s blockade aims to shift the balance of power by depriving Iran of this negotiation lever and preventing it from exporting its own oil,” the site adds, stating that “Trump has been discussing this option with his team for several days in case diplomatic talks fail.”
[Fact Check: The content revolves around US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz aimed at Iran.]
“Act of War”
On April 12, the president was pleased to share an article from “Just the News” on his social network regarding the potential blockade against Iran, similar to what occurred in Venezuela prior to the capture of President Maduro.
“A naval blockade is considered an act of war” and its imposition “would likely have serious implications for other countries using this waterway,” The New York Times notes.
Moreover, according to The Wall Street Journal, such a blockade would be “a major economic gamble,” risking to “more severely affect the global economy” by worsening energy supply challenges and market fluctuations. “Iran appears to be in a better economic position in the short term due to its lucrative exports since the conflict began.”
“I have also ordered our naval forces to search for and prohibit any ship in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” the White House occupant stated in his lengthy post. The United States will “begin destroying the mines that the Iranians have deposited in the strait.”
Naval Escalation
“These statements suggest a naval escalation around the strait,” comments The New York Times, further compromising the ceasefire concluded just five days ago, as also noted by The Washington Post.
Areas of Agreement but Nuclear Hurdles
In his first real response to the talks, Trump emphasizes, as his vice president J.D. Vance did, that Iran was not prepared to abandon its nuclear program. He notes, however, an agreement on many subjects that, according to him, are still “insignificant compared to leaving nuclear power in the hands of Tehran.”
J.D. Vance and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, leaders of the two delegations in Pakistan, did not close the door to diplomacy but both mentioned an impasse.
Trump concludes his lengthy post by warning that the US military is ready and, “at the appropriate time,” he threatens, “will liquidate what little is left of Iran.”
