President Donald Trump announced the Strait of Hormuz would be subject to a blockade by the U.S. Navy early Sunday, hours after Vice President JD Vance announced 21 hours of diplomatic talks with Iran stalled.
Iran announced the maritime chokepoint was open to vessels that met certain conditions, including paying a toll in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency. Trump said in response that any ship paying the toll would be halted by the United States Navy.
“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. 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,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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.”
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