Wall Street Journal: American military forces began blockading maritime traffic attempting to enter and leave Iranian ports on Monday, setting up a risky new showdown after weekend peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement.
More than 15 U.S. warships are in place to support the operation, according to a senior official. An advisory to mariners from U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, which is affiliated with Britain’s Royal Navy, said maritime-access restrictions were being enforced for Iranian ports and coastal areas along the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Arabian Sea…
Trump says the blockade has begun
“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world because that’s what they’re doing,” Trump said of Iran at the White House, where he announced the blockade had started.
He suggested the U.S. remains willing to engage with Iran.
“I can tell you that we’ve been called by the other side,” Trump said, adding that “they want to work a deal.”…
What the Naval Blockade of Iran Might Look Like
The U.S. military has provided few details on how it might carry out President Trump’s orders as he seeks to pressure Tehran on a peace deal. But history and established practices offer some clues…
US and Iran still engaged in talks, US official says
The US and Iran are still communicating, a US official told CNN, after peace talks in Pakistan failed. US officials are discussing details for a potential second in-person meeting with the Iranians, a source said…
U.S. Is Negotiating an Iran Deal That Would Buy Time, Again
As details of Mr. Vance’s 21-hour visit to Pakistan spilled out on Monday, people familiar with the negotiations said the U.S. position was not a permanent ban on nuclear enrichment by Iran. Instead, the United States proposed a 20-year “suspension” of all nuclear activity. That would allow the Iranians to claim they had not permanently given up their right, under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, to produce their own nuclear fuel…
Israel backs US Hormuz blockade as Netanyahu signals readiness to resume war
As Israel observes a fragile ceasefire with Iran and continues strikes in Lebanon, officials say the military remains on high alert…
Experts say it is unlikely the US military would fire missiles or other weapons at tankers, given the risk of an environmental disaster. The most likely option is the US navy will try to force vessels to change course through threats, and if that doesn’t work, they will launch armed boarding parties to take physical control of the ships, experts say…
The risks of Donald Trump’s Strait of Hormuz blockade plan
On its surface, the naval embargo is intended to shrink Iran’s capacity to fund its defence by limiting the revenue it generates from oil exports. But such an operation risks further destabilising global energy markets and triggering a new surge in oil prices. It also jeopardises a fragile two-week ceasefire agreed by the US and Iran last Tuesday…
The Iranians believe that time is on their side in this confrontation and they are probably right. The longer the Strait of Hormuz is closed, the more the economic and political pressure on the US and its allies will mount. As a result, Iran’s negotiating hand is likely to be stronger — if and when peace talks resume…
Economists are putting a price on the Iran war fallout in Asia. It doesn’t look good.
Military escalation in the Middle East could cause output losses of between $97 billion and $299 billion in the Asia Pacific, due to rising costs for transportation, electricity and food, according to an estimate from the United Nations Development Programme…
Iran crisis epitomizes a world increasingly resistant to Trump’s demands
His instincts may help explain his decision to launch an assault on Iran’s military, nuclear and regional ambitions that previous presidents avoided. But Tehran’s refusal to surrender to Trump’s demands is beginning to reveal the limits of America’s power — and his own…
Amid War, G.O.P. Puts Off Testimony From Senior Pentagon Commanders
Republicans in Congress have scrapped an opportunity to publicly question senior Pentagon officials next week on the war in Iran, postponing a scheduled hearing until late May as they continue to resist exercising oversight of the far-reaching military operation…
Singapore tightens monetary policy as energy shock hits Asia
The Monetary Authority of Singapore warned that the import-dependent nation was vulnerable to the sharp increases in oil and gas prices since the outbreak of war in the Middle East six weeks ago and the longer-term impact on global supply chains…
Allies try to puzzle out US blockade of Iran
Some officials questioned how U.S. military commanders will actually enforce the blockade, “especially if Iran decides to let more ships through — and not necessarily those that have paid tolls — to overwhelm the blockade,” said one foreign diplomat from a nation with economic interests in the Middle East.
“Is the U.S. Navy going to interdict every one of them, and do they have enough assets for this? And how would they verify who has allegedly paid tolls?” added the diplomat, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues…
As Iran war drags on, midterm forecasts for Republicans get even worse
The GOP was already bracing for a tough election, but with the ceasefire in doubt, gas prices are likely to stay high, and voters’ economic outlook is dismal…
Electric Fury: Soaring power bills threaten to swing US elections.
The energy strains have propelled the once-mundane utility bill to the center of US politics, a place it hasn’t occupied since electricity became a staple of American life. After a 2024 election in which voter concerns over inflation and the economy helped send Donald Trump back to the White House, the outcome of this year’s midterms stands to be as much about the price of power as the price of groceries…
Marjorie Taylor Greene Predicts a GOP Bloodbath in the Midterms
Given all of the fractures that you’re talking about, what do you think the outlook is for Republicans in the midterms this year?
Oh, I’ve been saying, I think I said it early in 2025, Republicans are going to get slaughtered in the midterms and —
Does that mean losing the House or the House and the Senate?
I think right now it’s definitely losing the House and potentially the Senate…