\n\tOver 20 hours of contentious negotiations between American and Iranian officials in Islamabad over the weekend concluded without a go-forward plan to end the war, calling into question a tenuous two-week ceasefire deal was agreed upon last week.<\/p>\n
\n\tVice President JD Vance and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran<\/a>\u2019s chief negotiator, along with massive delegations on both sides, could not come to a consensus on how to wind down the conflict. Vance said after the marathon talks that Iran<\/a> refused to abandon its nuclear program\u2014the primary objective of the U.S. military campaign. <\/p>\n \n\tAs a result, an irate President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to blockade the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, choking off the already constrained trade thoroughfare that has served as Iran<\/a>\u2019s chief point of leverage amid the U.S. and Israeli strikes.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSo, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not. 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<\/a>,\u201d he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.<\/p>\n \n\tIranian officials indicated that there may be mines in the strait that could imperil ships passing through, Trump said.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cTHIS 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a second Truth, Trump said Iran had promised to open the strait and \u201cknowingly failed\u201d to do so, causing \u201canxiety, dislocation, and pain\u201d to those that rely on it for the transport of energy products and other cargo<\/a>. About 20 percent of the world\u2019s oil and gas moves through the strait on its way to markets spanning the globe, and DHL <\/a>said last week that shipping patterns may not normalize for four to six months.<\/p>\n \n\tIn recent weeks, the disruption has pushed prices at U.S. pumps have to a whopping $4-per-gallon average, with some states, like California, seeing gas exceed $6. Trump warned that Iran \u201cbetter begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn an ominous Twitter post, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded that all Strait traffic is \u201cunder the full control of the armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex in the Strait if it makes the wrong move,\u201d it added alongside a video showing ships in crosshairs.<\/p>\n \n\tAn official public relations statement from the IRGC softened the messaging, saying that civilian vessels would be allowed to transit the Strait if compliant with \u201cspecific regulations,\u201d but \u201c[a]ny military vessels that intend to approach the Strait of Hormuz under any pretext will be considered in violation of the ceasefire and will be dealt with severely.\u201d<\/p>\n