Trump announces US Naval blockade of Iranian ports and Strait of Hormuz, effective April 13

US President Donald Trump has officially announced that the United States Navy will begin a full naval blockade targeting all shipping to and from Iranian ports, effective Monday, April 13, 2026.

The announcement comes a day after the collapse of high-stakes US-Iran peace talks in IslamabadPakistan, where Iran rejected key American demands including ending uranium enrichment, dismantling major enrichment facilities, cutting funding to proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Background: Collapse of Islamabad Peace Talks

The decision follows the failure of nearly 21-hour trilateral negotiations in Islamabad. Vice President JD VanceSpecial Envoy Steve Witkoffand Jared Kushner led the US team, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir mediated.

A senior US official revealed that Iran rejected core demands on its nuclear program and regional proxy funding. Trump later confirmed on Truth Social that while many secondary points were agreed upon, Iran remained “unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions.”

Trump reiterated his firm red line: “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon!”

He also warned that the US military is “fully locked and loaded” and prepared to “finish up the little that is left of Iran” if necessary.