Trump announces blockade of Strait of Hormuz as prez blasts Iran for ‘WORLD EXTORTION’

WASHINGTON — The US will begin a sweeping blockade of the Strait of Hormuz at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, with President Trump vowing to fight back against Iran’s “WORLD EXTORTION” and ensure that no one paying tolls to the regime will get through the critical oil chokepoint.

US Central Command announced the halt to “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” would be enforced “impartially” against all nations, no matter the point of origin.

“CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” the combatant command said in a statement.

Trump said that the negotiations with Iran that concluded Saturday without a deal “went well,” but faulted the Islamic Republic for refusing to budge on its nuclear program, which he described as “the only point that really mattered.”

“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 declared on Truth Social Sunday.

“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.”

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

“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”
https://nypost.com/2026/04/12/us-news/trump-announces-blockade-of-strait-of-hormuz/