Gulf Crisis: Trump Directs US Navy to Block Strait of Hormuz After Failed Talks

*US President insists illegal tolls prohibited 

*Tehran declares shipping lane open to civilian vessels only 

*Uncertainty over energy market 

*Pope seeks end to war

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The US Navy will begin at  10am this morning the blockading “any and all ships” trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said yesterday, after talks to make Iran open the critical ship passage failed at the weekend.
Trump also threatened to bomb Iran’s water treatment facilities as well as its power plants and bridges, repeating an earlier threat, if Tehran did not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons programme – the key sticking point between the two sides.
Trump’s surprise announcement of a blockade came after 21 hours of face-to-face peace negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad collapsed on Sunday morning.
Vice President JD Vance, who doubled as the head of the US team, said Iran had refused to give up the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, while the Iranian delegates said Washington needed to do more to win their trust.
But a seemingly frustrated Trump has ordered the US Navy to block the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, furious with Iran’s refusal to surrender its nuclear ambitions after peace talks in Pakistan broke down without an agreement.
In a lengthy declaration on his social media platform on Sunday, Trump said his eventual goal was to clear the strait of mines and reopen it to all shipping, but that in the meantime Iran must not be allowed to profit from its control of the waterway.
Iran has itself been restricting traffic through the strait – a key route for global shipments of oil, gas and fertiliser – while allowing vessels deemed to be working for friendly countries, such as China, to pass. There have been unconfirmed reports that Tehran plans to charge tolls.
Trump later in a Fox News interview again threatened Iran’s energy infrastructure, before warning he would impose a 50 per cent tariff on Chinese imports if Beijing tried to help the Iranian military.
The president’s latest ultimatum appeared to have been triggered by the failure of talks to secure a deal to end the six-week-old war, which began when the US and Israel launched strikes on Tehran and killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s refusal to give up its right to a nuclear programme frustrated the US delegation, led by  JD Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump said in a long post: “So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, nuclear, was not. Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the finest in the world, will begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.
“At some point, we will reach an ‘All Being Allowed to Go In, All Being Allowed to Go Out’ basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, ‘There may be a mine out there somewhere,’ that nobody knows about but them. This Is World Extortion, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted.
“ I have also instructed our 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. We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown to hell!
“Iran knows, better than anyone, how to end this situation which has already devastated their country. Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft and Radar are useless, Khomeini, and most of their ‘leaders,’ are dead, all because of their nuclear ambition. The Blockade will begin shortly.
“Other countries will be involved with this blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this illegal act of extortion. They want money and, more importantly, they want nuclear. Additionally and, at an appropriate moment, we are fully “locked and loaded,” and our military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!”
In a follow-up post, he went on to say that Iran’s negotiators were “very unyielding” as to the single most important issue, declaring that under his watch, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
“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. 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?
“ There is great dishonour and permanent harm to the reputation of Iran, and what’s left of their “leaders,” but we are beyond all of that. 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,” he stated.
The failure of the talks will raise concerns that a return to fighting could drive world energy prices higher and further damage shipping and oil and gas facilities. Pakistan, which hosted the talks, urged both countries to continue respecting the temporary truce.

UK PM Seeks Continuation of Ceasefire

A UK government statement said yesterday that the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, spoke to the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al Said at the weekend, where they agreed that there was the need to continue with the ongoing ceasefire.
“They discussed the peace talks held in Pakistan over the weekend and urged both sides to find a way through. It was vital there was a continuation of the ceasefire, and that all parties avoided any further escalation, the leaders agreed,” the statement added.
Reflecting on international efforts to coordinate safe passage for shipping in the region, the prime minister said that following meetings convened by the Foreign Secretary and British military planners, partners continued to work towards restoring freedom of navigation for the long term.
The prime minister, the statement said, reiterated the UK’s commitment to ensuring Oman’s security and updated on the UK’s work with Ukraine on drone technology.
“It was clear Ukraine’s expertise had been vital to the region in recent weeks, while Russia appeared to continue to support Iran’s aggression,” the UK leader added. The leaders agreed to speak again soon.

ADNOC CEO: Oil Route Mustn’t Be Left Under Iranian Control

Also, the Chief Executive of United Arab Emirates state oil giant ADNOC,  Sultan Al -Jaber, said the Strait of Hormuz has never been Iran’s to close or restrict the navigation through.
He said that any ‌disruption would ‌threaten energy, food and health security worldwide, warning that setting such a precedent would be “dangerous and unacceptable”. “The world simply cannot ‌afford it and must not ‌allow it,” he added.
He insisted that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be controlled or restricted by Iran, warning that any disruption would have far-reaching global consequences.
In a post on X, Al Jaber said attempts to block navigation through the waterway would go beyond a regional issue, calling it a threat to a critical artery for global trade. “Any effort to restrict passage is not just a regional matter but a disruption to a global economic lifeline, and a direct threat to energy, food and health security worldwide,” he wrote.
He described such actions as unlawful and dangerous, adding that the global economy would not be able to absorb the fallout or allow such a situation to persist.
Al Jaber said that since February 28, at least 22 vessels had been targeted, resulting in 10 crew deaths and leaving around 20,000 seafarers stranded and unable to transit safely. He added that roughly 800 commercial ships were currently stranded, including nearly 400 oil tankers, underscoring the scale of disruption to global shipping flows.

Pope Condemns ‘Delusion of Omnipotence’ Fueling War

Pope Leo XIV has issued his strongest condemnation yet of the “delusion of omnipotence” he believes is fueling the US-Israel war in Iran, demanding political leaders halt hostilities and negotiate for peace.
The pontiff presided over an evening prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica at the weekend, coinciding with the start of face-to-face negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan, as a fragile ceasefire held.
While the first US-born Pope did not explicitly name Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the talks were announced, his tone and message appeared directly aimed at Trump and US officials.
According to the Pope, prayer for peace is “a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”
The first US-born pope said: “Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death.”
Addressing world leaders who decide to go to war, Leo said: “To them we cry out: stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation – not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided.”
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” he added.
While the pope did not explicitly mention the US-Israeli war with Iran, or name any single country or president, his words will be read as his strongest condemnation yet of a conflict the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth has cast as a sacred struggle.
The pope’s remarks came during face-to-face negotiations between US and Iranian delegations in Pakistan to shore up a fragile truce and put a permanent end to hostilities.

Iran: Strait Open for Civilian Vessels Only

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has insisted the Strait of Hormuz is open for civilian vessels, but said that military ships “will be dealt with severely”.
The statement came in response to Trump’s declaration that the US Navy would immediately start blockading the strait, and interdict every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf  blamed the US for the failure of the ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan, saying the US officials failed to gain the ‌trust of the Iranian delegation.

US Vice President JD Vance said talks with Iran ended without a deal, claiming he had put forward a “final and best offer”.

Iran has denied US claims that two of its ships transited the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any attempt by military vessels to pass through the waterway would be met with a “strong response”.

Uncertainty Persists in Oil Market

There was uncertainty yesterday over the failure of the US and Iran to reach a peace deal after marathon negotiations put markets on alert for further oil and gas price rises.

With large numbers of oil tankers remaining stuck in the Gulf, the US vice-president, JD Vance, blamed the collapse of the talks on Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian sources hit back at “excessive” demands from Washington.

A weekend market in US crude oil operated by the broker IG indicated that the oil price was going to rise when trading began on Sunday night, UK time, to about $98 a barrel, from about $96.50 on Friday night before the peace talks in Pakistan.

Besides, analysts at JPMorgan Chase said they expect oil prices to stay high in the second quarter, above $100 a barrel, before easing in the second half of the year.

Oil prices fluctuated wildly last week and fell below $100 a barrel on Wednesday after a two-week ceasefire was announced. They ended the week lower, with Brent crude at $94.26 a barrel, compared with a peak of $119.45 during the war and about $72 a barrel before the conflict began.

As of 9.25 Nigerian time yesterday, both Nigeria’s crude oil benchmark, Brent and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also known as US oil, were both selling at about $95 per barrel.