Talks Stall, and the U.S. Imposes Its Own Blockade
Iran thought it held all the cards in the negotiations, but JD Vance and the American team walked away from the table, and Donald Trump responded with power.
Well, so much for that ceasefire. Of course, a ceasefire without achieving American objectives is counterproductive, which is effectively what President Donald Trump and his administration have decided.
Now, we’re blockading the blockade, which is as it should be. More on that in a minute.
Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, were sent to Pakistan to negotiate with the Iranians. “We have been at it now for 21 hours, and we’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That’s the good news,” said Vance on Sunday morning. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement — and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”
Vance was notably less eager to attack Iran than his boss, so it’s notable that he’s the one who walked out of negotiations and returned home. That alone sends a powerful message.
The cause of the impasse is simple. “I don’t want to negotiate in public after we negotiated for 21 hours in private,” Vance said, “but the simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that [Iran] will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.” He added, “That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”
At a minimum, as long as the present Islamofascist regime controls Tehran, there will be no nuclear weapons. Vance said the U.S. is demanding “a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term.”
That’s official U.S. policy, and it has been Trump’s personal opinion for decades. As he subtly put it on Truth Social, “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
That’s why he launched Operation Midnight Hammer last June, and Operation Epic Fury in February. And yet the talks collapsed because, as Trump noted, “IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!”
Regarding the blockade, the Iranians have been allowing only a few select ships — mainly from China and India — to traverse the Strait of Hormuz while collecting tolls. Much of the commerce that normally flows through that channel has been stopped, including a backlog of about 400 oil tankers. See your local gas station for more information.
Iran clearly hoped that blocking 20% of the world’s oil trade would jack up prices and force the U.S. and Israel to bow to economic pressure. The mullahs also aimed to fracture alliances with the Gulf states.
Trump has had it.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted Sunday morning. “The Blockade will begin shortly. Other Countries will be involved with this Blockade. Iran will not be allowed to profit off this Illegal Act of EXTORTION.”
At the same time, the U.S. Navy is sweeping the Strait for mines to ensure safety going forward.
We aren’t so much blockading the Strait as we are blockading Iran. The U.S. will even seize ships that have paid Iran’s toll, which will hurt Iran as much or more than its selective blockade has hurt the rest of the world. If Iran can’t even sell its oil, it’s going to hurt big time in short order. We’ll see how long it takes China — purchaser of 80% of Iranian oil — to ratchet up the pressure on Iran.
Meanwhile, Team Trump may resume military strikes soon, leaving the ceasefire as a distant memory.
