US Navy Implements Partial Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Following Failed Peace Talks

The United States Navy began a partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz at 4:00 PM Central European Summer Time on Monday, April 13, 2026, following the collapse of US-Iran peace negotiations mediated by Pakistan over the weekend. President Donald Trump announced the measure via his Truth Social platform, directing the Navy to stop all vessels calling at or departing from Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The blockade applies impartially to ships of all nations, according to the US regional command CENTCOM, which urged mariners to monitor the situation and establish radio contact with the US Navy. Iran, which has de facto controlled the strait since the start of the war at the end of February 2026, charging fees of up to two million US dollars per vessel for passage, described the US move as illegal "piracy." The breakdown of talks and the blockade announcement sent oil prices significantly higher on Monday, as a rapid reopening of the strait appeared unlikely.

The Strait of Hormuz has been under de facto Iranian military control since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. Since that point, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have required ships wishing to transit the strait to coordinate with Iranian armed forces and pay passage fees. According to data from the analytics firm Kpler, Iran exported an average of approximately 1.85 million barrels of crude oil per day in March 2026, roughly 100,000 barrels more than in the three preceding months, with exports also commanding higher market prices. A two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran came into effect on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

Iran threatens Gulf ports as double blockade looms Iran's armed forces and the Revolutionary Guards responded with sharp warnings after Trump's announcement. A spokesman for the Iranian military leadership, cited by the Tasnim news agency, called restrictions on shipping in international waters illegal and stated that "the security of the ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is either for everyone or for no one." The Revolutionary Guards warned that any approach of military ships to the strait would be considered a "clear violation of the ceasefire in place since Wednesday." Iran threatened that if its own ports were endangered, no port in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman would remain safe. Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the security committee in the Iranian parliament, wrote on X that Trump's announcement was "nothing but a bluff" and that any such action would be evaluated as a military operation requiring a response. At least two tankers associated with Iran, the Aurora and the New Future, carrying oil products and diesel according to data from the global provider LSEG, left the strait shortly before the US blockade deadline. Analysis of ship tracking data from Vesselfinder showed at least 14 vessels in the area of the strait on Monday, with at least two ships — a liquefied natural gas tanker under a Hong Kong flag and a Chinese cargo ship — turning around before reaching the strait after the US deadline was announced.

Merz skeptical, Macron pushes multinational shipping mission European leaders responded to the escalation with a mix of skepticism and diplomatic initiative. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had not been surprised by the breakdown of the US-Iran talks. „I did not have the impression from the beginning that they were really well prepared.” — Friedrich Merz via DIE WELT Merz did not specify who he directed that criticism toward. German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Berlin continued to prioritize a negotiated solution, describing the blockade not as an end to diplomacy but as "a movement to increase pressure," and characterizing the Strait of Hormuz as "a kind of bargaining chip" for both sides. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and Great Britain would jointly organize a conference in the coming days to secure free shipping in the strait, describing the planned operation as "strictly defensive" and separate from the conflict parties. „This strictly defensive mission, separate from the conflict parties, is to be deployed as soon as the situation permits.” — Emmanuel Macron via Deutsche Welle British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking to the BBC, said the United Kingdom did not support the US partial blockade and did not want to "be drawn into the war." A Pakistani government official told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that "diplomacy is not dead yet," though the location and timing of any resumed talks remained unclear.

Analysts warn of China clash risk and practical blockade limits Security analysts raised questions about both the strategic logic and practical execution of the US blockade. Johannes Peters, who heads the Maritime Strategy and Security Department at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University, told watson.ch that the strait was "currently only passable under Iran's conditions," with ships required to coordinate with Iranian armed forces and pay the two-million-dollar fee. Peters identified two US objectives: stripping Iran of its primary leverage instrument and cutting off Iranian crude oil exports to weaken the country economically. He expressed doubt that economic pressure would decisively benefit the United States, noting that "Iran has been used to an economy of scarcity for decades" and that the regime would not be destabilized by popular suffering as long as it remained politically secure. Peters also warned that Iranian oil exports flow primarily to India and China, and that blocking those shipments risked "an open conflict, especially with China," adding that whether the US was "really willing to accept a military clash with the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean is questionable." He said he did not expect the US Navy to position itself in the immediate vicinity of the strait, predicting it would operate "outside the range of Iranian missiles and drones." The UN Shipping Organization stated that any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be illegal under international law. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump and his advisors were also considering resuming limited military strikes against Iran to restart the stalled negotiations.