The U.S. army is about to dam ships from Iran’s ports after talks failed

The U.S. army will block ships from coming into or exiting Iranian ports on Monday after the U.S. and Iran failed to achieve an settlement in direct talks over the weekend.

The U.S. Central Command, often known as CENTCOM, stated the blockade can be enforced from 10 a.m. Jap Time.

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM posted on social media on Sunday.

CENTCOM stated it “will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”

President Trump stated Sunday he instructed the U.S. Navy “to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.”

“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” he added.

The choice to dam vessels coming into and leaving Iranian ports got here after the U.S. and Iran failed to achieve an finish to the conflict, throughout the direct talks that happened in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend.

Israel and Hezbollah continued to commerce strikes on Monday as efforts had been underway for Israeli and Lebanese officers to fulfill in Washington for ceasefire talks.

In the meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron introduced preparations for a “peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation” within the Strait of Hormuz. He stated he can be convening a convention on these plans “in the coming days” along with Britain.

Brent crude oil, the worldwide commonplace, jumped to $102.24 a barrel on Monday.

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France and U.Ok. reactions | Iran on Strait of Hormuz| U.S.-Iran talks | Lebanon | U.S. warships | Iran executions

British PM says UK is not going to be part of blockade, French president proposes ‘peaceable multinational mission’

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated Monday the UK is not going to be part of President Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports within the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer stated his focus was to maintain the waterway open.

Talking to BBC Radio, Starmer stated he wouldn’t go into operational issues, however that the UK’s efforts can be geared toward reopening the strait.

“All of the marshalling diplomatically, politically and capability, we do have minesweeping capability… That’s all focused from our point of view, on getting the straits fully open,” Starmer stated.

He stated that was the one option to get vitality payments down for individuals within the U.Ok. who, in accordance with him, had been paying the worth of the conflict in Iran.

In the meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Monday that “in the coming days,” France and Britain will set up a convention with “those countries prepared to contribute alongside us to a peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation” within the Strait of Hormuz.

“This strictly defensive mission, separate from the warring parties to the conflict, is intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit,” Macron posted on X.

Iran says warships “will be met with strong” response

Trump wrote on social media on Sunday that the talks between the U.S. delegation led by Vice President Vance and the Iranian delegation failed as a result of “IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!”

Tehran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear program is a civilian one, and that it has a proper to proceed to counterpoint uranium for that objective.

In a collection of posts on social media on Sunday, Iran’s army spokesman, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, stated “warships nearing the Strait of Hormuz will be met with a strong and decisive response.”

Zolfaghari additionally threatened to dam the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in response to U.S. motion. The waterway is tucked between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connecting the Pink Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the Suez Canal.

Final week’s ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran had minimal influence on the motion of products by the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had largely shut down the strait to business vessels and in some circumstances demanded steep tolls for ships to move. The choice by the Trump administration to dam Iran’s ports is more likely to additional heighten tensions and exacerbate gas shortages worldwide.

Almost 20% of the worldwide provide of oil and gasoline usually strikes by the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely blocked for the reason that joint U.S. and Israeli strikes in opposition to it started on Feb. 28.

U.S. and Iran talks fail, sides sign they’re far aside on nuclear enrichment

The U.S. and Iran failed to achieve an settlement in extremely anticipated face-to-face peace talks that happened over the weekend in Islamabad. On Sunday, after 21 hours of talks, Vice President Vance stated Iran selected “not to accept our terms.”

Requested what the key sticking level had been that led to the breakdown in negotiations, Vance stated: “The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.”

For its half, Iran stated the 2 sides had “reached an understanding on a number of issues, but ultimately the talks did not lead to an agreement.”

Iranian Overseas Minister Abbas Araghachi, a member of the Iranian negotiating staff, stated Sunday his nation “engaged with (the) U.S. in good faith to end the war,” including that when the 2 sides had been near reaching an understanding, “we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.”

The standing of the two-week ceasefire, which extends till April 22, is now unsure. However Vance left open the likelihood that an settlement might nonetheless be reached, saying: “We leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer.” He added: “We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.”

The talks in Islamabad had been the primary face-to-face engagement between the U.S. and Iran since 2015, when the Obama administration negotiated a nuclear take care of Iran that was later scrapped by Trump. They had been additionally the highest-level discussions for the reason that 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In a Fox Information interview on Sunday, Trump doubled down in his stance that Iran shouldn’t have a nuclear weapon, and stated he believes Iran will “come to the table” and quit its nuclear weapons efforts. Requested if he’ll proceed to “destruct” Iran if they do not hand over their nuclear weapons program, Trump stated: “If they don’t give that plan up, yeah.”

On Saturday, Trump stated “We win, regardless” of the end result of negotiations, including, “we’ve totally defeated that country.”

US warships move by Strait of Hormuz

Because the talks between the U.S. and Iran had been underway, two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers handed by the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a U.S. official informed NPR, marking the primary transit of American warships for the reason that begin of the Iran conflict six weeks in the past.

CENTCOM stated it had begun setting circumstances to clear Iranian sea mines planted all through the waterway to “encourage the free flow of commerce.”

Israel and Hezbollah proceed to commerce strikes

Assaults continued in Lebanon on Monday as Israeli airstrikes hit border villages that Israel says is it seizing from Lebanon, in an effort to create a buffer zone to forestall militant group Hezbollah from firing cross-border rockets.

Lebanese authorities stated greater than 100 individuals had been killed over the weekend from Israeli assaults.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who crossed into Lebanon on Sunday, stated these displaced from southern Lebanon is not going to be allowed to return to their properties. Israeli Protection Minister Israel Katz stated the purpose of Israel’s marketing campaign is to destroy homes within the space to forestall Hezbollah from utilizing them.

Their statements got here as preparations had been underneath approach for Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to fulfill on Tuesday in Washington for ceasefire talks, the primary direct official talks between the 2 international locations since 1983. The talks are usually not supported by Hezbollah, which held a rally in Beirut over the weekend, filling a number of blocks of the capital.

The Lebanese authorities stated Israel has destroyed round 40,000 homes up to now 35 days.

The Lebanese Pink Cross stated that certainly one of its ambulance groups was immediately focused by an Israeli drone over the weekend, killing one paramedic and wounding one other. The demise introduced the variety of the medics killed to no less than 57 up to now six weeks, in accordance with Lebanese authorities. Israel denies it’s focusing on medics and accused Hezbollah of transporting weapons in ambulances.

Human rights teams say Iran elevated executions

No less than 1,639 individuals had been executed in Iran in 2025, in accordance with a joint report by the Norwegian group Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Collectively In opposition to the Demise Penalty.

In keeping with the 2 watchdogs, the determine represents a rise of 68% over the earlier yr.

A wave of arrests and executions adopted the country-wide protests that began in December of 2025 and trailed into January.

Mass arrests have additionally been recurrently reported in Iran’s state media for the reason that begin of the conflict, with authorities accusing these it rounds up of getting ties to Israel or aiding terrorist teams.

Betsy Joles in Islamabad, Lauren Frayer in Beirut, D Parvaz in Van, Turkey, Fatima Al-Kassab in London and Tina Kraja in Washington, DC contributed to this report.