Trump says Iranian ships will be ‘eliminated’ as US naval blockade begins 

A naval blockade on Iran, ordered by United States President Donald Trump, has begun, setting the stage for a major escalation that could fray the fragile ceasefire between the two countries.

Trump warned Iranian military ships on Monday from approaching the blockade zone.

“Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we did not consider them much of a threat,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.”

The blockade, which Trump announced on Sunday after US and Iranian negotiators failed to reach a deal after a round of talks in Pakistan, came into effect on Monday at 10am in Washington, DC (14:00 GMT).

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre announced earlier that it had been notified that the US blockade will apply “without distinction” to ships engaging with Iranian ports and oil terminals.

“The restrictions encompass the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including the ports and energy infrastructure,” UKMTO, which is affiliated with the British Royal Navy, said in an advisory.

Although the two-week truce stipulated that Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz, vessel traffic has not increased in the strategic waterway since the ceasefire was announced last week.

Iranian officials have accused the US of violating the truce by allowing Israel to continue to bomb Lebanon. Pakistan, which mediated the ceasefire, had said that all regional fronts – including Lebanon – were part of the deal.

While Trump’s move to blockade Iran’s ports could hamper the already ailing Iranian economy, is unlikely to loosen the Iranian grip on Hormuz or bring down energy prices.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliament speaker who was part of Tehran’s negotiating team in Islamabad, warned on Sunday that the US siege in the Gulf will only raise gasoline prices for Americans.

The average price of one gallon (2.8 liter) of petrol in the US is now more than $4.12, up from less than $3 before the war began.

“Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

Iran has vowed to defend its territorial waters, saying that the naval siege amounts to “piracy”.

Disputes over Hormuz and whether or not Iran can retain a domestic nuclear programme were the major sticking points in Sunday’s talks in Islamabad.

But Pakistan has said it will continue its mediation efforts.

“Pakistan remains committed to sustaining this momentum for peace and stability,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a social media post on Monday.