US announces naval blockade move after Iran talks end without agreement

AP, PTI, April 13, 2026, Washington: US President Donald Trump said Sunday the US Navy will "immediately" begin a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement.

Iran has demanded the right to collect tolls from vessels travelling through the strait, but Trump said no one who pays them will "have safe passage on the high seas."

Earlier in the day, the United States and Iran ended 21 hours of face-to-face talks in Islamabad without reaching a deal, leaving the fate of the fragile, two-week ceasefire still unclear.

"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," Vice President JD Vance told reporters.

The war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets has entered its seventh week. The US delegation, led by Vance, and the Iranian delegation, led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, had discussed how to advance a ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel's continued attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.