Iranian Ports Face US Naval Blockade After Talks Collapse

Ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will still be allowed to pass. That narrows earlier public threats to block the entire waterway, a route that carries about one fifth of global energy supplies. Oil prices jumped after the announcement, with benchmark crude rising above $100 a barrel in early Asian trading.

Iran responded with a warning that any military vessel approaching the strait would be treated as a breach of the current two week ceasefire and would face a severe response. Iranian officials also said the weekend negotiations failed because Washington pushed demands Tehran would not accept, including curbs on uranium enrichment and wider regional concessions.

The move raises the risk of fresh escalation across the Gulf, where shipping traffic has already slowed sharply since the fighting began. Analysts said a sustained naval blockade would be a large military operation that could prove difficult to maintain and could deepen pressure on global energy markets.