WASHINGTON / TEHRAN — The crisis in the Persian Gulf deepened on Sunday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that “any enemy” entering the Strait of Hormuz would be “trapped in a deadly vortex,” following U.S. President Donald Trump’s dramatic order for an immediate naval blockade of the critical waterway.
The move came after 21 hours of failed peace talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan. Negotiations aimed at saving a fragile two‑week ceasefire collapsed with no agreement over Iran’s nuclear ambitions or regional military actions.
In a defiant message posted in Persian on X, the Guards’ naval command said Iran’s forces had “full control” over all ship movements through the Strait; a narrow channel that carries nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil. “The enemy will become trapped in a deadly vortex if it makes the wrong move,” they warned.
Trump responded by ordering a total blockade, vowing that the U.S. Navy would stop “any and all ships” attempting to enter or leave the area. The president said no vessel paying Iran’s recently proposed “tolls” would be guaranteed safe passage. “We’re not letting Iran make money on selling oil to whoever they like,” he said on Fox News. “It’s going to be all or none, and that’s the way it is.”
The U.S. delegation at the Islamabad talks was led by Vice President J.D. Vance, while Iran’s team was headed by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Vance told reporters the obstacle remained Iran’s refusal to give up the capacity to build nuclear weapons. “We need to see a clear commitment that they won’t seek the tools to make one,” he said.
Trump also issued new threats of tariffs against China, claiming he had received reports that Beijing might be supplying Iran with shoulder‑launched missiles. “If we catch them doing that, they get a 50 percent tariff,” he warned, adding that he “doubted” such deliveries were ongoing.
Meanwhile, violence in Lebanon continues to escalate despite ceasefire talks. The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 252 women, 165 children, and 87 medical workers have been killed in seven weeks of Israeli attacks in the south. More than 6,500 people have been wounded.
As global markets braced for turmoil, Iran’s warning and Washington’s blockade order marked a perilous new chapter in the long confrontation between the two nations — one that could decide the future of a region already standing at the edge of war.
