Live updates: Follow the latest news on the Iran war
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday the US Navy would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz immediately and banning ships that have paid a toll to Iran from safe passage.
Posting on Truth Social, Mr Trump blasted Iran for promising to open the strait, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's crude oil usually passes, then “knowingly” failing to deliver.
“Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so. This caused anxiety, dislocation and pain to many people and countries throughout the world,” he said. “As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this international waterway open and fast! Every law in the book is being violated by them".
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy … will begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr Trump wrote, adding that US forces would also “seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran”.
“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown to hell!”
He said the move “nearly 20 hours” talks in which “most points were agreed” but not details of Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions! In many ways, the points that were agreed to are better than us continuing our military operations to conclusion, but all of those points don’t matter compared to allowing nuclear power to be in the hands of such volatile, difficult, unpredictable people,” he said.
He added that other countries would be involved in the blockade but did not provide details.
The Republican leader also accused Tehran of “world extortion” and said the US would not allow ships that paid Iran tolls to have safe passage.
Later in an interview with Fox News, Mr Trump who defended his planned blockade, said Washington is "not gonna let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like."
"It's gonna be all or none, and that's the way it is," he said. "You saw what we did with Venezuela. It'll be something similar to that, but at a higher level."
He also threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Chinese imports if Beijing tries to help the Iranian military.
Mr Trump said US forces would begin clearing naval mines in the strait and warned that any Iranian attacks on US or commercial vessels would be met with force.
“They say they put mines in the water, even though all of their Navy, and most of their 'mine droppers,' have been completely blown up. They may have done so, but what ship owner would want to take the chance?”
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said Iranian security forces had the Strait of Hormuz key shipping bottleneck under full control, warning that enemies would be trapped in its "deadly vortex" in case of any miscalculation.
"All traffic... is under the full control of the armed forces," the Guards naval command said in a Persian language post on X after Mr Trump ordered the US naval blockade of the Strait.
"The enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex in the Strait if it makes the wrong move," it added, posting a video showing vessels in crosshairs.
Iran had blocked the Strait of Hormuz for weeks, following the US and Israel's bombing campaign against the Islamic republic that started more than six weeks ago.
On Saturday, the US military announced that two US warships had transited the strait at the start of a mine clearance operation.
Mr Trump warned that eventually, US forces would "finish up the little that is left of Iran" if necessary.
"We are fully 'LOCKED AND LOADED,'" he wrote.
