Trump Eyes Limited Iran Strikes, Hormuz Blockade After Peace Talks Collapse

by Tyler Durden

Sunday, Apr 12, 2026 – 06:20 PM

Summary

• Trump weighs limited strikes on Iran 
• CENTCOM confirms blockade to begin at 1000ET Monday morning and will only impact Iran-related vessels
• President Trump begins blockading the Strait of Hormuz, warns US military will “finish up the little that is left of Iran”
• Door for diplomacy remains open, WSJ reports: Regional countries are racing to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table after marathon peace talks in Islamabad ended without a deal
• The US delegation in Islamabad delivered the following six “red lines” to Iran: 1) End all uranium enrichment; 2) Dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities; 3) Retrieve highly enriched uranium; 4) Accept a broader peace, security and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies; 5) End funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis; 6) Fully open the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage
• 2 Supertankers U-turn after peace deal talks fail
• UAE Oil Chief warns Iran blocking Hormuz is “a direct threat to the energy, food and health security of every nation”

The odds of a peace deal by the end of the ceasefire period have improved modestly today but remain down significantly from pre-talks…

https://embed.polymarket.com/market?market=us-x-iran-permanent-peace-deal-by-april-22-2026&buttons=false&height=300

Trump Weighs Limited Strikes On Iran 

Brent crude futures are up 7.5% to around $102 per barrel, while S&P 500 futures traded down about 1% after President Trump ordered the U.S. military to impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, beginning Monday morning.

A Wall Street Journal report indicates that President Trump is weighing limited strikes on high-value Iranian assets to break the stalemate in peace talks. 

The report continued:

That is among the options that Trump was considering Sunday, hours after negotiations collapsed in Pakistan, the officials said.

Trump could also resume a full-fledged bombing campaign, though officials said that was less likely given the prospect of further destabilizing the region and the president’s aversion to prolonged military conflicts.

He could also seek a more temporary blockade while he pressures allies to take responsibility for a prolonged military escort mission through the strait in the future.

U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended late Saturday without an agreement. These periods generally allow both sides to restock weapons and prepare for the next phase of fighting.

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) accounts on X are reporting a steady stream of U.S. Air Force cargo jets heading to the Middle East late Sunday.

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“My advice to the White House folks I’ve spoken to is secure the strait at any cost and immediately as a matter of economic and national and global security,” said Steve Moore, a former economic adviser to Trump, who was quoted by the WSJ.

Moore noted, “We have the power to protect the flow of international trade and must use it. Or the whole world economy could tumble into a global recession.”

Fred Fleitz, a senior National Security Council official during Trump’s first term, told the outlet that Iran’s large delegation to Islamabad showed that a diplomatic solution is possible.

“I think Trump’s right, Iran is out of cards,” Fleitz said. “This conflict has only been going on for a few weeks. It’s too early to know how this will come out, but I think it looks promising.”

CENTCOM Says Blockade Will Begin Monday Morning at 1000ET

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, according to a statement on X.

CENTCOM provided some further clarification regarding who will be blocked, in accordance with President Trump’s earlier proclamation.

Specifically, they are only (and impartially) blocking any vessel leaving or entering an Iranian port…

The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

But, vessels from non-Iranian ports are free to transit the Strait

CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

Now the fun begins.

Iran Says It Won’t Allow Blockade Of Hormuz Strait, But Room For Diplomacy Remains

As the US failed to open the Strait of Hormuz, it is also “doomed to fail in a naval blockade,” Iran’s military adviser to the supreme leader, Mohsen Rezaee, said in a post on X.

Iran’s armed forces “will not allow America to do so and have great untapped leverage to counter it,” he adds.

“Iran is not a place to be surrounded by tweets and imaginary plans.”

However, despite defiant statements from the U.S. and Iran, The Wall Street Journal reports that, according to regional officials familiar with the matter said, the door remains open for further diplomacy and a second round of talks could be held within days. Regional countries were also in consultation with the U.S. to secure an extension of the fragile two-week ceasefire period announced late Tuesday, they said. 

The Islamabad talks were the highest-level face-to-face meeting between American and Iranian leaders since 1979. The main sticking points, said the officials, were reopening the Strait of Hormuz without collecting fees, the fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, and Iran’s demand that about $27 billion in frozen revenues held abroad be released. Iranian officials have presented counterproposals to continue to enrich token amounts or curtail its stockpile of enriched uranium, but the two sides were unable to reach a compromise, the officials said.

Trump’s 6 Red Lines

Fox News reports that Vice President Vance’s final offer delivered to the Iranian delegation in Islamabad includes the following “red lines.”

1. End all uranium enrichment
2. Dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities 
3. Retrieve highly enriched uranium 
4. Accept a broader peace, security and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies
5. End funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis
6. Fully open the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage

Needless to say, Iran refused to agree. 

President Trump Begins Blockading Strait Of Hormuz

President Trump said the US would blockade the Strait of Hormuz following the collapse of peace talks with Iran in Islamabad this weekend.

“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 in a social media post.

In a pair of lengthy social media posts, Trump first explained the situation in the Strait…

Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so.

This caused anxiety, dislocation, and pain to many people and Countries throughout the World.

They say they put mines in the water, even though all of their Navy, and most of their “mine droppers,” have been completely blown up.

They may have done so, but what ship owner would want to take the chance?

There is great dishonor and permanent harm to the reputation of Iran, and what’s left of their “Leaders,” but we are beyond all of that.

As they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST! Every Law in the book is being violated by them.

I have been fully debriefed by Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, on the meeting that took place in Islamabad through the kind and very competent leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan. They are very extraordinary men, and continuously thank me for saving 30 to 50 million lives in what would have been a horrendous War with India. I always appreciate hearing that — The amount of Humanity spoken of is incomprehensible.

Before discussing the outcome of the talks:

The meeting with Iran began early in the morning, and lasted throughout the night — Close to 20 hours. I could go into great detail, and talk about much that has been gotten but, there is only one thing that matters — IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!

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.

My three Representatives, as all of this time went by, became, not surprisingly, very friendly and respectful of Iran’s Representatives, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi, and Ali Bagheri, but that doesn’t matter because they were very unyielding as to the single most important issue and, as I have always said, right from the beginning, and many years ago, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!

Trump noted that talks went well… until they didn’t…

“So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not.“

The US president is hopeful…

At some point, we will reach an “ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO IN, ALL BEING ALLOWED TO GO OUT” basis, but Iran has not allowed that to happen by merely saying, “There may be a mine out there somewhere,” that nobody knows about but them.

But then came the threats, with Trump apparently widening his purview to international waters:

THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION, and Leaders of Countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted.

I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran.

No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.

We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits.

Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!

And the art of the deal… Escalate to De-Escalate… how long can Iran last with no oil revenues at all?

Iran knows, better than anyone, how to END this situation which has already devastated their Country.

Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft and Radar are useless, Khomeini, and most of their “Leaders,” are dead, all because of their Nuclear ambition.

The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.

They want money and, more importantly, they want Nuclear.

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!

Trump’s decision follows his re-tweeting of this story from JustTheNews.com, suggesting that he could reprise his successful Venezuela blockade strategy to choke an already teetering Iranian economy and ratchet up diplomatic pressure on China and India by cutting them off one of their key sources of oil.

Ironically, the massive USS Gerald Ford carrier that led the Venezuelan blockade is now in the Persian Gulf after a brief hiatus for repairs and crew rest after a deadly fire. And now it joins the USS Abraham Lincoln and other major naval assets.

In short, Trump simply could out-blockade Iran’s hold over the Strait of Hormuz, experts said.

On Sunday, the president confirmed that he is proceeding with a blockade. 

“It would be very easy for the US Navy to exert complete control over what does and does not go up and down the Strait now,” the Lexington Institute’s national security expert Rebecca Grant told Just the News.

“I’ve heard about 10 ships have moved in the last 24 hours. One of them was a reflagged Russian tanker, and we know that cargos have gone out to China, to India, and we’ve seen some inbound traffic.

“If Iran gets intransigent, then absolutely, the US Navy can set up with great overwater surveillance … and watch everything that goes in and out of that Strait and you’ll have to ask the US Navy if you want to move past Kharg Island or past that narrow part by Oman,” she added.

Iran’s semi-official media cited “excessive” US demands, while the foreign ministry said it was natural that differences wouldn’t be resolved in a single round of talks, leaving the door open for more discussions.

A month ago we wondered…

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…and now we have an answer. 

The question is – how will the UAE oil chief deal with a US closure versus an Iranian closure?

China will certainly be pissed off as their tankers were flowing relatively freely until now.

Is the US endgame to take control of another chokepoint too…

https://embed.polymarket.com/market?market=kharg-island-no-longer-under-iranian-control-by-april-30-912&buttons=false&height=300

Attempted Boarding of Commercial Ship in Bab el-Mandeb Strait 

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a “sailing vessel” was approached by a small boat carrying 10 to 12 people, several of them heavily armed with automatic weapons, in what appeared to be an attempted boarding.

“The Master deployed a flare and the skiff turned away and departed to the southeast,” UKMTO wrote in an advisory posted on X about the maritime incident near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another critical chokepoint that Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have threatened to close in recent weeks.

2 Supertankers U-Turn In Strait After Peace Talks End Without A Deal

The marathon peace talks this weekend in Islamabad between Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Vice President JD Vance, and other officials ended without a deal. Still, the top Iranian negotiator signaled that the door remains open for future talks. Polymarket odds of a peace deal being signed this month collapsed late Saturday.