Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have declared that Iranian security forces hold the Strait of Hormuz under full control and have warned that any enemy miscalculation would result in forces being trapped in its “deadly vortex”.
The Guards’ naval command made the statement in a Persian-language post on X on Sunday, following President Donald Trump‘s order for a US naval blockade of the strait.
“All traffic… is under the full control of the armed forces,” the post read. “The enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex in the Strait if it makes the wrong move.”
Trump announced on Sunday that the US Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade to prevent ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz. The move came after US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan concluded without an agreement.
Iran has demanded the right to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait. Trump responded that no one who pays them would “have safe passage on the high seas”.
The United States and Iran had held 21 hours of face-to-face talks in Islamabad earlier on Sunday. The negotiations ended without a deal, leaving the status of a fragile two-week ceasefire uncertain.
“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,” US Vice President JD Vance said.
The conflict, now in its seventh week, has killed thousands and affected global markets.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported in its daily casualty count that 252 women, 165 children and 87 medical workers were among the dead, with 6,588 others wounded as Israel continues bombing the country.
The US delegation, led by Vance, and the Iranian delegation, led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, had discussed ways to advance the ceasefire. Those talks were complicated by deep disagreements and Israel’s continued attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump told Fox News today that his threat to impose 50 per cent tariffs on goods from countries selling weapons to Iran was directed at China. He said he had heard reports of China supplying anti-aircraft “shoulder missiles” to Iran.
Trump played down the likelihood but warned that any such supplies would trigger the tariffs.
“I doubt they would do that, because I have a relationship, and I think they wouldn’t do that, but maybe they did a little bit at the beginning,” he said. “But if we catch them doing that, they get a 50 per cent tariff.”
On Tuesday Trump had posted on Truth Social that “a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”. In the same Fox News interview he said his earlier threat had brought Iran to the negotiating table. He also referred to statements from the Islamic Republic including “Death to America. Death to Israel. America is a Satan.”
Trump issued fresh warnings that the United States would strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure if its leaders did not agree to abandon its nuclear programme. “In one half of a day they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one electric generating plant standing and they’re back in the stone ages,” he said.
Defending the planned blockade, Trump said Iran could not decide which ships could pass through the Strait of Hormuz. “We’re not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like,” he told Fox News. “It’s going to be all or none and that’s the way it is.”
He compared the operation to the US blockade of Venezuela, though on a larger scale, and suggested that more tankers would divert to the United States to buy oil as a result.
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