US blocks Iran ports after talks fail to reach deal

WASHINGTON,— The U.S. military said it will begin a maritime blockade of all traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday after weekend talks failed to produce a deal to end the war with Iran, putting a fragile two-week ceasefire at risk.

The talks in Islamabad ran from Saturday into early Sunday and marked the first direct U.S.-Iran meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

They came days after a ceasefire began on Tuesday aimed at ending six weeks of fighting that killed thousands across the Gulf, disrupted energy supplies, and raised fears of a wider regional conflict.

U.S. Central Command said the blockade, starting at 10 a.m. ET Monday (1400 GMT), will be enforced against vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including ports in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

It said ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will not be stopped. It added that commercial mariners will receive formal notice before the blockade begins.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S. forces would intercept vessels in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran. He said no one paying what he called an illegal toll would have safe passage on the high seas.

He also warned that any Iranian forces firing on U.S. units or peaceful vessels would be destroyed. Trump said the U.S. Navy would begin destroying mines laid by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy trade.

Shipping data showed three fully loaded supertankers passed through the strait on Saturday, but tankers avoided the waterway on Monday ahead of the blockade. Crude prices rose more than 7 percent above 100 dollars per barrel in Asian trading, while the dollar gained and U.S. stock futures fell.

Former Pentagon official Dana Stroul said the mission would be difficult and likely unsustainable without broader support.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards warned that military vessels approaching the strait would be treated as a ceasefire violation and met with a strong response.

A U.S. official said Iran rejected demands to stop uranium enrichment, dismantle enrichment facilities, and transfer highly enriched uranium. Iran also refused to end support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis or fully open the strait.

Iranian media said some issues saw progress but the strait and nuclear program remained unresolved.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran faced shifting demands and a blockade near agreement on an Islamabad understanding. He said goodwill brings goodwill and hostility brings hostility.

Trump said Iran might continue talks and described the Islamabad meeting as friendly. Later, he said he did not care if Iran returned to negotiations.

He also said oil and gasoline prices could stay high through the November elections. Iranian official Qalibaf criticized U.S. policy and posted images of U.S. fuel prices, saying Americans may miss lower costs.

President Masoud Pezeshkian told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Iran wanted a fair agreement and said progress depended on respect for international law.

Officials on both sides continued to trade warnings as the situation developed, with maritime security and energy flows remaining central concerns.

International markets watched closely for further statements from Washington and Tehran, as well as military movements around the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters, while commercial shipping companies adjusted routes and timing in response to the announced blockade and uncertainty over the ceasefire and negotiations.

(With files from Reuters)