Trump says US Hormuz blockade will 'take a little while'

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of an incident 54 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen.

A sailing vessel was approached by a skiff carrying approximately 10–12 people, 4–5 of whom were armed with automatic weapons. The crew requested that the vessel stop, and when the master refused, they attempted to pull alongside to board.

The master deployed a flare, after which the skiff turned away and departed to the southeast, UKMTO said.

President Donald Trump said the United States would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz and interdict vessels that have paid tolls to Iran, in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.

“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,” Trump said.

He added that the US Navy had been instructed to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” accusing Tehran of extortion.

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

Trump also said the United States would begin destroying mines that he said Iran had laid in the waterway and warned of military retaliation if Iranian forces targeted US or commercial vessels.

“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” he said.

“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!” he added.

President Donald Trump said Iran is unwilling to abandon its nuclear ambitions after nearly 20 hours of talks between American and Iranian negotiators in Islamabad.

“In many ways, the points that were agreed to are better than us continuing our Military Operations to conclusion, but all of those points don’t matter compared to allowing Nuclear Power to be in the hands of such volatile, difficult, unpredictable people,” he added in a post on Truth Social.

“I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz has never been Iran’s to close or restrict navigation through, Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil giant ADNOC, said in a post on X on Sunday.

He warned that any disruption would threaten global energy, food and health security, calling such a precedent “dangerous and unacceptable.”

“The world simply cannot afford it and must not allow it,” he added.

A deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament described US demands in recent negotiations as unrealistic, following talks that ended without agreement.

“In 40 days of war they learned that victory is determined by the will of nations and strength on the ground, not rhetoric on social media,” Ali Nikzad wrote on X.

“They will also learn that diplomacy is about respect and accepting realities, not dictating wishes,” Nikzad added.