Trump announces the start of a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and a ban on paying fees to Iran.
Trump announces the start of a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and a ban on paying fees to Iran.
2026-04-12
Shafaq News – Washington
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced the start of a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the prevention of the payment of fees to Iran, while confirming that the US military would eliminate what remains of Iran.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account that “Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, but deliberately failed to keep its promise. This caused anxiety, turmoil, and suffering for many people and countries around the world.”
He added: “They claim to have planted mines in the strait, even though their entire naval fleet, and most of their mine-dropping vessels, have been completely destroyed. They may have done so, but what ship owner would take that risk? There is great shame and lasting damage to Iran’s reputation, and to what remains of its leaders, but we have moved past all of that.”
Trump continued: “As they promised, they must begin the process of opening this international waterway quickly! They are breaking all the laws.”
He added: “I received a full briefing from Vice President J.D. Vance, Special Envoy Steve Wittkopf, and Jared Kushner on the meeting that took place in Islamabad thanks to the gracious and capable leadership of Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. They are truly extraordinary men, and they constantly thank me for saving between 30 and 50 million people from what would have been a horrific war with India. I always appreciate hearing that, as the amount of humanity mentioned is indescribable.”
The US president confirmed that “the meeting with Iran began early in the morning and continued throughout the night, for about 20 hours,” adding: “I could go into many details and talk about a lot of what was agreed upon, but the only important thing is that Iran is not prepared to give up its nuclear ambitions! In many ways, the points that were agreed upon are better than us continuing our military operations to the end, but all these points are not comparable to the importance of allowing nuclear energy to be in the hands of volatile, difficult, and unpredictable people.”
Trump continued, saying, “Over time, my three representatives became very friendly and respectful to the representatives of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araqchi, and Ali Bagheri. This does not matter because they were very firm on the most important issue, and as I have always said, from the beginning, and for many years, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon!”
He noted that “the meeting went well, and most points were agreed upon, but the only truly important point, the nuclear point, was not agreed upon.”
Trump noted that the US Navy would begin immediately to blockade all ships attempting to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. At some point, we will reach a “let everyone in and out” principle, but Iran prevented this by claiming, “There might be a mine somewhere,” a claim no one else knows about. This is global blackmail, and world leaders, especially those of the United States, will never succumb to blackmail.
He added: “I have also instructed the Navy to search for and intercept every vessel in international waters that has paid fees to Iran. Anyone who pays illegal fees will not have safe passage on the high seas. We will also begin destroying the mines that the Iranians have planted in the straits.”
The American president threatened that “any Iranian who fires on us, or on peaceful ships, will be annihilated! Iran knows, better than anyone, how to end this situation that has already destroyed its country. Its navy, air force, air defenses, and useless radars have been destroyed, and Khomeini, and most of its ‘leaders,’ are dead, all because of their nuclear ambitions.”
Trump concluded by saying: “The blockade will begin soon. Other countries will participate in this blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit from this illegal act of extortion. They want money, and more importantly, they want nuclear weapons. In addition, in due course, we are ready, and our military will wipe out what is left of Iran!”
Iran escalated its stance on the Strait of Hormuz, announcing earlier on Sunday that it would adhere to imposing transit fees payable in Iranian rials, in response to previous threats by US President Donald Trump to reject any restrictions on navigation in the international waterway.
These exchanges of statements come at a time when Iran is reportedly moving to regulate traffic through the Strait and allow a limited number of ships to pass through daily, while imposing fees that could reach $2 million per tanker, which threatens a new escalation in one of the most vital corridors for global energy supplies.
shafaq.com
