The U.S. President, on Sunday, April 12, ordered a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, following Iran’s refusal to give up its nuclear ambitions at the peace talks in Islamabad.

President Trump noted that while the extended 21-hour negotiations in Pakistan had gone ”well” and led to agreement on most issues, Tehran had refused to compromise on its nuclear programme.

”The United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” the President posted on social media on Sunday.

The US President also accused Iran of ”WORLD EXTORTION”, and threatened that any person who attacked the US vessels would be ”BLOWN TO HELL!”

Similarly, in a statement on Sunday, US Central Command (Centcom) stated that the blockade would come into effect 10 am ET (3 pm BST) on April 13, and would be confined to ”vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas”, including the passage of ships headed to ports belonging to the US’s Gulf allies.

However, in response to Trump’s blockade threat, Iran’s parliament speaker said the country will not ”surrender under threats” and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said any approaching military vessels would be in breach of a US-Iran ceasefire – meant to be in effect until April 22 – and ”will be dealt with severely”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi faulted the U.S. since the collapse of peace talks, stating that US negotiators shifted their demands and sabotaged a memorandum of understanding that was almost finalized.

Several countries are already responding to President Donald Trump’s threat to blockade Iranian ports, just as oil prices are rising and stock markets wobbling. Spain’s Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, has stated that the proposal ”makes no sense”. In the same vein, China is urging calm and restraint, entreating that keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is in the common interest of the international community. ASEAN, a group of 11 South East Asian nations, many of which strongly rely on the Middle East for energy, has called for ”full and effective implementation of the ceasefire, ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation and overflight”.

Britain and other European countries, as it were, are backing negotiations. And according to Chris Doyle, the director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, ”the last thing I expect European countries to do would be actively participating in the US in securing this blockade. It makes no sense, given their pre-existing positions,” he said.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday on X that France and the United Kingdom will convene talks aimed as ”restoring freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Together with the United Kingdom, we will organize a conference with those countries prepared to contribute alongside us to a peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait,” Macron stated, adding that this “strictly defensive mission, separate from the warring parties to the conflict, is intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit.”

As the threat from the US President once again throws global markets in another period of uncertainties, taking into cognizance the far-reaching economic and geopolitical implications, it is hoped that both countries in the epicentre of this quagmire will restore and continue on the path of diplomacy until normalcy is restored.