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The U.S. military will block ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports on Monday after the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement in direct talks over the weekend.

The U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM, said the blockade would be enforced from 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM 

CENTCOM said it "will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports."

 Sunday he instructed the U.S. 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 added.

The decision to block vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports came after the U.S. and Iran failed to reach an end to the war, during the direct talks that took place in Islamabad, Pakistan, over the weekend.

Israel and Hezbollah continued to trade strikes on Monday as efforts were underway for Israeli and Lebanese officials to meet in Washington for ceasefire talks.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced preparations for a "peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz. He said he would be convening a conference on these plans "in the coming days" together with Britain.

Brent crude, the international standard, jumped to $ 102.24 a barrel on Monday.

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British PM says UK will not join blockade, French president proposes ‘peaceful multinational mission’

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday the United Kingdom will not join President Trump's blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer said his focus was to keep the waterway open.

Speaking to BBC Radio, Starmer said he would not go into operational matters, but that the UK's efforts would be aimed at reopening the strait.

"All of the marshalling diplomatically, politically and capability, we do have minesweeping capability… That's all focused from our point of view, on getting the straits fully open," Starmer said.

He said that was the only way to get energy bills down for people in the U.K. who, according to him, were paying the price of the war in Iran.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that "in the coming days," France and Britain 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 of Hormuz.

"This strictly defensive mission, separate from the warring parties to the conflict, is intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit," Macron 

Iran says warships ‘will be met with strong’ response

Trump wrote on social media on Sunday that the talks between the U.S. delegation led by Vice President Vance and the Iranian delegation failed because "IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!"

Tehran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is a civilian one, and that it has a right to continue to enrich uranium for that purpose.

In a series of posts on social media on Sunday, Iran's military spokesman, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, 

 "warships nearing the Strait of Hormuz will be met with a strong and decisive response."

Zolfaghari also threatened to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, in response to U.S. action. The waterway is tucked between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connecting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the Suez Canal.

Last week's ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran had minimal impact on the movement of goods through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had largely shut down the strait to commercial vessels and in some cases demanded steep tolls for ships to pass. The decision by the Trump administration to block Iran's ports is likely to further heighten tensions and exacerbate fuel shortages worldwide.

Nearly 20 percent of the global supply of oil and gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely blocked since the joint U.S. and Israeli strikes against it began on Feb. 28.

U.S. and Iran talks fail, sides signal they are far apart on nuclear enrichment

The U.S. and Iran failed to reach an agreement in highly anticipated face-to-face peace talks that took place over the weekend in Islamabad. On Sunday, after 21 hours of talks, Vice President Vance said Iran chose "not to accept our terms."

Asked what the major sticking point had been that led to the breakdown in negotiations, Vance said: "The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon."

For its part, Iran said the two sides had "reached an understanding on a number of issues, but ultimately the talks did not lead to an agreement."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghachi, a member of the Iranian negotiating team, 

 Sunday his country "engaged with (the) U.S. in good faith to end the war," adding that when the two sides were close to reaching an understanding, "we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade."

The status of the two-week ceasefire, which extends until April 22, is now uncertain. But Vance left open the possibility that an agreement could still be reached, saying: "We leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer." He added: "We'll see if the Iranians accept it."

The talks in Islamabad were the first face-to-face engagement between the U.S. and Iran since 2015, when the Obama administration negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran that was later scrapped by Trump. They were also the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In a Fox News interview on Sunday, Trump doubled down in his stance that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, and said he believes Iran will "come to the table" and give up its nuclear weapons efforts. Asked if he will continue to "destruct" Iran if they don't give up their nuclear weapons program, Trump said: "If they don't give that plan up, yeah."

On Saturday, Trump said "We win, regardless" of the outcome of negotiations, adding, "we've totally defeated that country."

U.S. warships pass through Strait of Hormuz

As the talks between the U.S. and Iran were underway, two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a U.S. official told NPR, marking the first transit of American warships since the start of the Iran war six weeks ago.

 it had begun setting conditions to clear Iranian sea mines planted throughout the waterway to "encourage the free flow of commerce."

Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade strikes

Attacks continued in Lebanon on Monday as Israeli airstrikes hit border villages that Israel says is it seizing from Lebanon, in order to create a buffer zone to prevent militant group Hezbollah from firing cross-border rockets.

Lebanese authorities said more than 100 people were killed over the weekend from Israeli attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who crossed into Lebanon on Sunday, said those displaced from southern Lebanon will not be allowed to return to their homes. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the goal of Israel's campaign is to destroy houses in the area to prevent Hezbollah from using them.

Their statements came as preparations were under way for Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to meet on Tuesday in Washington for ceasefire talks, the first direct official talks between the two countries since 1983. The talks are not supported by Hezbollah, which held a rally in Beirut over the weekend, filling several blocks of the capital.

The Lebanese government said Israel has destroyed around 40,000 houses in the past 35 days.

The Lebanese Red Cross said that one of its ambulance teams was directly targeted by an Israeli drone over the weekend, killing one paramedic and wounding another. The death brought the number of the medics killed to at least 57 in the past six weeks, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel 

 it is targeting medics and accused Hezbollah of transporting weapons in ambulances.

Human rights groups say Iran increased executions

At least 1,639 people were executed in Iran in 2025, according to a joint report by the Norwegian organization Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty.

According to the two watchdogs, the figure represents an increase of 68 percent over the previous year.

A wave of arrests and executions followed the country-wide protests that started in December of 2025 and trailed into January.

Mass arrests have also been regularly reported in Iran's state media since the start of the war, with authorities accusing those it rounds up of having ties to Israel or aiding terrorist groups.

Betsy Joles in Islamabad, Lauren Frayer in Beirut, D Parvaz in Van, Turkey, Fatima Al-Kassab in London and Tina Kraja in Washington, DC contributed to this report.

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The U.S. Central Command said the blockade would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" from 10 a.m. EDT, following the breakdown of talks after 21 hours of negotiations.

U.S. military to block ships from Iran’s ports after peace talks fail

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