Trump Confirms Blockade Of Iranian Ports

RFE
13 Apr 2026, 08:35 GMT+10

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07:18

Trump Confirms Blockade Of Iranian Ports

President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US will start blockading ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports from 10 a.m. Eastern Time on April 13.

Announcing the blockade earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for all American forces in the Middle East, said it will be enforced "impartially" against vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas on the "Arabian Gulf" -- also known as the Persian Gulf -- and the Gulf of Oman.

CENTCOM did not disclose details of the blockade, such as the number of US vessels that would enforce it, but stated it would apply solely to ships bound to or from Iran.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Iran has halted all maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, driving global energy prices sharply higher. Tehran also declared it would start collecting tolls from vessels seeking to pass through the chokepoint.

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05:18

Netanyahu Visits Southern Lebanon, Says 'The War Continues'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited southern Lebanon on April 12 and said military operations against the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia would go on despite international calls for a cease-fire.

"The war continues, even within the security zone in Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office.

He was in southern Lebanon with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. The exact location wasn't specified.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (file photo).

"What we are seeing is that we have thwarted the threat of an invasion from Lebanon through this security zone," he said.

"There is still more to do, and we are doing it," he said.

The visit came two days before US, Lebanese, and Israeli officials are scheduled to hold direct talks in Washington on April 14.

Lebanon was dragged unwillingly into the Middle East war when Iran-allied Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel after US-Israeli air strikes killed Iran's supreme leader on the first day of the conflict on February 28.

Hezbollah has been deemed a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States.

Separately, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah conflict amid the ongoing battles.

"We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands," Salam said in a televised address.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has said the war's overall toll has risen to more than 2,050 dead, including 165 children and more than 80 health workers.

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03:57

Trump 'Not A Big Fan' Of Pope After Pontiff's Call For Peace

US President Donald Trump told reporters on April 12 that he is "not a big fan" of Pope Leo XIV, after the pontiff made a plea for peace a day earlier.

"I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person, and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime," Trump told reporters, accusing the pontiff of "toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon."

Hours earlier, Trump attacked the pope in an exceptionally long post onsocial media, saying, among other things, that "I dont want a Pope who thinks its OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon."

The pope, a 70-year-old American, without mentioning Iran or Trump directly, publicly called on leaders to end the violence.

"Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!" the pope said.

On April 7, the pope called Trump's threat to wipe out Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable."

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23:31

12.4.2026

US Military To Blockade Iranian Ports Starting April 13

The US military said it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports as of 10 a.m. Eastern time (5:30 p.m. in Iran) on April 13 in a dramatic move following the failure of US-Iranian peace talks hours earlier.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal, citing officials and others familiar with the matter, reported that US President Donald Trump and his advisers are considering resuming limited military strikes against Iran in addition to the naval actions as a means to break stalemate in peace talks.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for all American forces in the Middle East, on April 12 said theblockade will be enforced"impartially" against vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas on the "Arabian Gulf" -- also known as the Persian Gulf -- and the Gulf of Oman.

The US military said it will stop all traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports beginning on April 13.

However, the command added that it will not impede the navigation of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

CENTCOM said additional information will be provided to commercial shippers through formal notices prior to the start of the blockade.

"All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches," it said.

The statement appears differ from remarks made earlier in the day by Trump, who had indicated a more widescale blockage.

Trump said the US Navy would immediately begin stopping "any and all" ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz after US-Iranian peace talks broke off in Islamabad in the early morning hours of April 12.

"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,"he wroteon social media.

CENTCOM did not provide specifics of the blockade, such has how many US ships would be used to enforce it, but the statement indicated it would only apply to ships coming to and from Iran.

Iran has effectively halted all shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that has sent global energy prices skyrocketing. Tehran said it would start collecting tolls from ships seeking to pass the waterway.

UPDATE:Trump told reporters late on April 12 that the cease-fire in Iran is "holding well," and he confirmed that a blockade will go into effect at 10 a.m. Eastern time on April 13. He didn't specify the details of the blockade mission.

At 10 a.m. tomorrow, we have a blockade going into effect that'll be 10 a.m. tomorrow," he said.

He also said Tehran likely will return to negotiations because I think Iran is in very bad shape. I think theyre pretty desperate. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.

However, he added, I dont care if they come back or not. If they dont come back, Im fine.

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20:00

12.4.2026

Pezeshkian Accuses US Of 'Double Standards' During Islamabad Talks

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused US negotiators of "double standards," saying it was the main obstacle to a potential agreement to end the conflict, according to a statement published by the Iranian presidency on April 12.

Trump Says US Warships Will Blockade Strait Of Hormuz 'Immediately'

US President Donald Trump accused Iranian officials of violating pledges to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and said he was ordering US warships to start blockading the critical shipping strait and interdict every vessel that had paid a toll to Iran.

In alengthy social media poston April 12, Trump also suggested Tehran's unwillingness to curtail its nuclear programs was the reason high-level talks in Pakistan broke down.

Hours earlier, US negotiators including Vice President JD Vance departed Pakistan without reaching a deal. Vance suggested the lack of a deal was "bad news" for Tehran, while Iran centered blame on US officials.

"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," Trump wrote. "There is great dishonor and permanent harm to the reputation of Iran."

US warships, meanwhile, would begin blockading any ships trying to sail through the strait "effective immediately," Trump said.

A day earlier, US warships sailed through the strait in what appeared to be a bold signal to Iranian officials to allow global shipping traffic to resume through the narrow waterway.

A marathon negotiating session between US and Iranian officials in Islamabad broke down after the two sides failed to reach agreement on several major points. Vance said Iran's nuclear ambitions were among the critical obstacles.

It was unclear how the breakdown in talks would affect the cease-fire that Trump announced last week, and is set to last until April 21.

In comments to Fox News later on April 12,Trump said the issue of Iran seeking to retain aspects of its nuclear program was central to the talks' failure.

"We didn't get there on the important issue," he said. "They want to have nuclear weapons. They're not going to have nuclear weapons."

Trump also said he was ordering minesweepers to the Persian Gulf, where Iran is believed to have released an unnamed number of mines. He also asserted that other NATO members were willing to help US efforts to resume shipping traffic, though it was unclear what nations he was referring to.

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14:18

12.4.2026

British PM Starmer Calls On US, Iran To 'Find A Way Through'

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on the United States and Iran "to find a way through" after high-level talks between the two countries failed despite marathon negotiations.

In astatementreleased in London on April 12, Starmer also called for the tenuous cease-fire to remain in place.

"It was vital there was a continuation of the cease-fire, and that all parties avoided any further escalation," Starmer said during a phone call with the leader of the Gulf nation of Oman.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets military personnel in Bahrain on April 9 during a three-day visit to the region.

The two leaders also discussed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed to all oil tanker traffic by Iran, a move that has sent energy prices in Britain, and around the world, soaring.

The call came hours after US and Iranian leaders ended their talks with no breakthrough. Departing for the United States, US Vice President JD Vance said, "We've had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That's the good news."

"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States," he continued.

Iranian officials signaled they could be open to future talks but placed blame for the breakdown on the Americans.

Britain, one of Washington's closest allies, has reacted coolly to the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Britain was set to host further talks next week on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

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14:12

12.4.2026

Iranian Forensics Body Identifies More Than 3,300 War Victims In The Country

Iranian authorities said they had identified nearly 3,400 people it said had been killed during US-Israeli strikes on the country that began on February 28.

The Forensic Medicine Organization, which is a part of Iran's judiciary, announced on April 12 that it has "identified and determined the identities of 3,375 people through scientific and specialized methods" of the citizens who died in the US and Israeli strikes.

According to the head of the Forensic Medicine Organization, this total includes 2,875 men and 496 women.

This is the latest official count of civilian deaths in the US-Israeli war with Iran. However, this is the only "identified" death toll from the war.

Previously, several official sources, including the Iranian Red Crescent Organization, have provided sporadic statistics on war deaths in the country, but these statistics did not include a breakdown by gender.

The US-based human rights group HRANA had previously reported the death toll at 3,636, saying of 1,701 -- including 254 children -- were civilians.

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13:58

12.4.2026

Iran's Internet Blackout Enters 44th Day

Irans Internet blackout entered its 44th day, activists said, as the government continued muzzling Iranians' connectivity to the outside world.

The government of Tehran shut down access to the worldwide Internet on February 28, the day that the United States and Israel attack the country.

The watchdog group NetBlocks said on April 12 that the blackout had surpassed 1,000 hours.

"The human and economic impacts of the extended censorship measure continue to pile up, breaking global records for shutdowns in a connected society," it said in the post on X.

During massive anti-government protests in January, authorities also throttled Iranians' Internet access, sharply limiting peoples ability to communicate and share information about the brutal crackdown. Thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of people are believed to have been killed by security forces, rights activists said.

Some Iranians have turned to Starlink, the US-built satellite Internet provider, to get information. An estimated 50,000 Starlink terminals are in the country,according to Bloomberg, though the government has banned them and aggressively sought out people using them.

Iranians are also relying shortwave radio, which can transmit over long distances.

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11:39

12.4.2026

Iran Negotiator Says US 'Unable' To Gain Tehran's Trust

The lead negotiator in Iran's talks with the United States said Washington was "unable" to win Tehran's trust during the discussions.

In apost to Xon April 12, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is also the speaker of Iran's parliament, said his negotiators raised "forward-looking" initiatives during talks in Pakistan, but the United States failed to gain the trust of the delegation in the talks.

"My colleagues in the Iranian delegation...put forward constructive initiatives but ultimately the other side was unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations," he wrote.

"America has understood our logic and principles, and now it's time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not."

Qalibaf's statement came hours after US Vice President JD Vance, who headed the US team, departed Islamabad saying there had been no deal to end the US war with Iran.

Qalibaf appeared to not completely shut the door to more talks in the future, but it was unclear if and when that would happen.