US naval blockade of Iran begins

Following the collapse of peace negotiations in Islamabad, the Trump administration has deployed 16 warships to enforce a total blockade of maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports.

The move is intended to extract concessions regarding uranium enrichment, but it has already triggered warnings of retaliation from Tehran against neighboring Gulf ports.

China has condemned the action as 'dangerous and irresponsible,' notably allowing a sanctioned tanker to transit the strait in open defiance of the U.S. order.

Global energy markets remain on edge as the blockade threatens to permanently disrupt a waterway responsible for a fifth of the world's oil supply.