WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – Former president Donald Trump ordered an immediate U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after nuclear talks with Iran collapsed.
Atomic talks collapse
Trump announced the move after declaring that negotiations with Iran had failed on their central issue. According to his account, discussions had been successful on most other points but not on the nuclear question. Iran had, in his words, issued a mine warning that he described as global extortion.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that the United States would never allow itself to be blackmailed. No ship was to pass the strait in future, whether inbound or outbound, under the new order. He also instructed the U.S. Navy to intercept all vessels in international waters that had paid any transit fee to Iran.
Trump stated that the navy would begin clearing mines laid by Iran in the narrow waterway. Any Iranian soldier who fired at U.S. or civilian vessels, he said, would be blown to hell.
Far-reaching consequences for the oil market
The Strait of Hormuz is regarded as one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. About 20 percent of global oil trade passes through the narrow channel between Iran and Oman. A blockade was expected to hit global energy markets directly and drive oil prices sharply higher.
Trump indicated that other countries would be brought into the blockade effort. He portrayed Iran as largely disarmed militarily, claiming its navy and air force were gone, its radar systems destroyed and its leadership killed as a consequence of its nuclear program. He wrote that the United States was fully prepared and that its military would finish what was left of Iran.
Thailand directly affected?
The new situation could have serious consequences for Thailand. Bangkok had reached a diplomatic agreement with Tehran at the end of March, allowing Thai oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz safely. The arrangement followed an Iranian attack on the Thai freighter Mayuree Naree on 11 March, in which three crew members went missing.
According to Reuters, the first Bangchak tanker did not have to pay any fee for passage, which was settled purely through diplomacy. Iran had since classified Thailand as a “friendly country,” giving Bangkok a special status compared with ships from states seen as hostile. Exactly this kind of special arrangement with Tehran was now likely to be viewed as unacceptable by Washington.
An official reaction from the Thai government to Trump’s blockade announcement was initially not available. Thailand imports around 50 percent of its crude oil from the Persian Gulf, making it highly exposed to any disruption. A complete closure of the strait would put the country’s fuel supply under renewed pressure, after pump prices had already risen by up to 20 percent since the war began.
Trump’s original Truth Social post
Trump set out his position in an English-language post on his Truth Social platform on 12 April 2026. He wrote that the meeting had gone well overall but that the nuclear issue had not been resolved. He emphasized that the navy would begin blockading all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz and would target vessels that had paid what he called an illegal toll to Iran.
He described Iran’s mine threat as extortion of the entire world and insisted that leaders, especially those of the United States, would never submit to it. Trump claimed that Iran’s armed forces and leadership had already been devastated because of the country’s nuclear ambitions. He warned that the blockade would start shortly and that other countries would join, adding that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” and would finish what remained of Iran.