WASHINGTON, (AP):- The U.S. military has begun a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, tempering U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier vow to entirely block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as early reports indicated that ships had stopped crossing the waterway. Trump said the blockade started at 10 a.m. EDT.
The move sets the stage for a showdown as Iran responded with threats on ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Shortly after the blockade was set to begin, Trump warned on social media that Iranian warships that come “anywhere close” to the U.S. blockade will be destroyed by a “quick and brutal” strike.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, is pushing ahead with its air and ground offensive in southern Lebanon, engaging in fierce fighting with Hezbollah militants over a strategic town, while the group fires rockets and drones at northern Israel.
U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on Trump’s broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration.
Ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what happens when the current two-week truce expires on April 22. As the talks wrapped up in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, both sides blamed each other for the failure.
