Negotiations broke down, and the blockade began. Trump posted a series of messages on Truth Social, ordering the U.S. Navy to impose a complete blockade of the Strait of Hormuz "immediately."
At some point, we will return to a state where "all ships can enter and all ships can leave," but Iran prevented this from happening simply by saying "there may be mines somewhere outside," and that no one but themselves knew where they were.
In his post, Trump also pointed out that during the nearly 20-hour meeting, the two sides reached consensus on most issues, but on the only truly important issue—nuclear weapons—Iran made no concessions.
A blockade order has been issued: vessels paying "illegal passage fees" will not be allowed safe passage.
Trump stated that the reason for announcing the blockade was Iran's breach of its previous promise: while agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, it refused to allow ships to pass, citing the possibility of mines in the water. In his post, he vehemently criticized: "This is world extortion. The leaders of the United States will never be extorted."
Under the blockade order, the U.S. Navy will also intercept all vessels in international waters that have paid "illegal passage fees" to Iran and proactively clear Iranian mines laid in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump issued his strongest warning yet: "Any Iranian who fires at us or our civilian vessels will be bombed to heaven!"
I have also ordered my navy to search for and intercept every vessel in international waters that has ever paid passage fees to Iran. Anyone who pays illegal fees will not be able to pass safely on the high seas. We will also begin destroying the mines that the Iranians have laid in the Straits.
Current situation in Iran: Navy and air force nearly destroyed; Supreme Leader reportedly dead.
In his post, Trump described how the previous military operations had cost Iran dearly: its navy was destroyed, its air force wiped out, its air defense and radar systems rendered useless, and Supreme Leader Khamenei and several other "leaders" reportedly killed. He emphasized, "Iran knows better than anyone how to end this."
Nevertheless, Trump acknowledged that the terms of the agreement reached between the two sides on issues other than nuclear weapons were "in many ways better than continuing military action to the end," but he made it clear that all these concessions were insignificant in the face of the nuclear issue.
Trump concluded with a strong statement: at the appropriate time, the U.S. military is "fully armed and ready" to finish off the "remaining mess" with Iran.
After the news broke, Bitcoin also fell below its morning low, hitting a low of $70,800.
