Oil tankers and freighters in the Strait of Hormuz. Image: keystone
April 13, 2026, 06:13April 13, 2026, 06:13
Blockade from 4 p.m
After the initially failed peace negotiations with Iran, the USA wants to begin today with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by US President Donald Trump. From 4 p.m. CEST, the passage for ships that want to enter or leave Iranian ports will be blocked, the US regional command Centcom announced on the X platform. According to information from the Wall Street Journal, Trump and his advisors are also considering resuming limited military strikes in Iran in order to get the deadlocked talks back on track.
Oil prices are rising
Oil prices promptly rise again. The price for a barrel (159 liters) of North Sea Brent crude oil for delivery in June was 102.50 US dollars at the opening. Before the negotiations, the price was $95.20.
Iran appears unimpressed
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf mocked X to the US population: “Have fun with the current fuel prices.”
Ghalibaf led the negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, for Iran. According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, he interpreted the American threats as an expression of the perplexity that the USA has found itself in since the outbreak of the war it started with Israel.
Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.
ΔO_BSOH>0 ⇒ f(f(O))>f(O) pic.twitter.com/rVxlC6vFWG
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 12, 2026
With the Hormuz blockade, Trump wants to prevent Iran from charging shipping companies fees for passage through the strait and at the same time cut off the country from oil revenues. Iran is one of the largest oil producers in the world. The Strait of Hormuz is therefore extremely important for Tehran in order to bring its oil exports to international markets.
However, Iran was unimpressed. Trump’s announcement of the naval blockade was nothing but a bluff, wrote the spokesman for the security committee in the Iranian parliament, Ebrahim Rezaei, on the night of X. This would be seen as a military operation, “and we would react to it.” The Revolutionary Guards warned that military ships were approaching the Strait of Hormuz. This would be viewed as a “clear violation of the ceasefire that has existed since Wednesday,” it said in a statement on Sunday evening.
Iranian attacks would make the blockade more difficult
Blocking the strait would give the US time to clear mines there and set up a protected passage for merchant shipping, the Wall Street Journal quotes current and former US defense officials.
However, renewed Iranian attacks would quickly complicate this mission, it was said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards continued to have most of their extensive fleet of maneuverable speedboats with which they controlled the Strait of Hormuz. More than 60 percent of these fast attack boats are intact and continue to pose a threat, Farzin Nadimi of the Washington Institute think tank was quoted as saying.
Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz wrote on X: “Iran is unlikely to give in.” He could target parts of the US Navy to test Americans’ resolve. Iran researcher Hamidreza Azizi also fears that Iran will encourage its allied Houthi militia in Yemen to bombard the Bab al-Mandab Strait and thus the entrance to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal further north.
An Israeli F-15 fighter jet: The next wave of attacks could be imminent.Image: keystone
The Iranian news agency Tasnim wrote on X: “If Trump takes action against the Strait of Hormuz, he will also lose the Strait of Bab al-Mandab.” Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the Israeli armed forces were already preparing for another conflict with Iran.
That’s what Trump says
Trump, meanwhile, told reporters that he “doesn’t care” whether Iran returns to the negotiating table or not. “I don’t care whether they come back or not. If they don’t come back, that’s okay too,” said the Republican.
Donald Trump wants sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.Image: keystone
The US Middle East Regional Command Centcom wrote on X that the naval blockade included Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The blockade will be enforced against ships of all nations. Trump had previously written on Truth Social that no one who pays an “illegal toll” will have safe passage on the high seas.
He had given Iran an ultimatum to allow free shipping traffic again and otherwise threatened to attack power plants and other infrastructure. Shortly before his deadline expired, Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in mid-week. This was followed by direct negotiations between the two sides in Islamabad on Saturday, mediated by Pakistan. However, they ended early on Sunday morning with no tangible result.
It is unclear whether and when further negotiations will take place. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on both sides to stick to the ceasefire. Pakistan will continue to play its role as a mediator, it said. (cma/sda/dpa)