The United States will not lift the blockade on Iranian ports until\nan agreement is reached with Tehran, said US President Donald Trump,\namid uncertainty regarding the second round of negotiations between Iran\nand the US to end the war.<\/p>\n
The blockade that began a week ago is \u201ccompletely destroying Iran,\u201d\nTrump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, adding that the\nUS is winning the conflict \u201cby a huge margin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The comments come ahead of the temporary US-Iran ceasefire ending on\nWednesday (22\/04). So far, there is no certainty whether the second\nround of peace talks will proceed in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump said his representatives will arrive in\nPakistan, which has been mediating between the two sides, on Monday\n(20\/04). The ceasefire between the US and Iran is scheduled to end on\nWednesday (22\/04).<\/p>\n
A White House official told the BBC that in addition to Vance, the\ndelegation will also include Trump\u2019s adviser, Steve Witkoff, and Jared\nKushner, Trump\u2019s son-in-law. Both were also present in previous\nnegotiations.<\/p>\n
However, Iran\u2019s state news agency, IRNA, said reports about a second\nround of negotiations with the US are \u201cuntrue.\u201d<\/p>\n
IRNA added that the US blockade, along with \u201cexcessive\u201d demands and\nthreatening rhetoric from Washington, has so far \u201chindered negotiation\nprogress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the blockade began, US forces have directed 27 ships to turn\naround or return to Iranian ports, according to the US Central Command\n(Centcom).<\/p>\n
The US also intercepted and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship for\nthe first time in this conflict, after the vessel attempted to breach\nthe blockade on Sunday (19\/04).<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet\nlong and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to break\nthrough our naval blockade, and it didn\u2019t go well for them,\u201d Trump\nwrote.<\/p>\n
He added that the US had given fair warning for the ship to stop, but\nit was ignored, \u201cso our Navy ships stopped them right there by shooting\nholes in the engine room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTOUSKA is under US Department of the Treasury sanctions due to a\nhistory of previous illegal activities. We have full control of the ship\nand are checking its cargo!\u201d<\/p>\n
Tehran described the action as \u201cpiracy\u201d and a violation of the\nfragile ceasefire between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Iran itself has maintained its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a\nvital shipping lane, for nearly two months, causing global energy prices\nto soar.<\/p>\n
On Saturday (18\/04), Iran\u2019s military re-closed the Strait of Hormuz\njust hours after it had been partially opened.<\/p>\n
Iran said it would reopen the strategic global route once the US\nlifts the blockade on Tehran\u2019s ports, which they call a \u201cviolation of\nthe ceasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran currently says it is \u201creviewing\u201d new proposals submitted by\nWashington.<\/p>\n
Here is the known chronology of negotiations between the US and Iran\nso far:<\/p>\n
28 February: Conflict erupts after the US and Iran launch attacks on\nIran amid failed diplomatic talks.<\/p>\n
6 March: Trump says there will be no agreement \u201cunless unconditional\nsurrender\u201d from Iran.<\/p>\n
21 March: Trump sets a deadline, threatening to strike Iran\u2019s energy\ninfrastructure unless the country agrees to open the Strait of\nHormuz.<\/p>\n
23 March: Trump postpones the deadline, citing \u201cproductive\nconversations,\u201d followed by a series of other threat delays.<\/p>\n
7 April: Trump threatens \u201ca civilisation will perish\u201d if the strait\nis not opened before the next deadline.<\/p>\n
8 April: Pakistan, acting as mediator, announces a two-week ceasefire\nbetween the US and Iran to allow further talks.<\/p>\n
11 April: A team of senior US and Iranian officials, including Vice\nPresident JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meet in\nPakistan. After 21 hours of tough negotiations, Washington and Tehran\nhave not reached agreement on several key points.<\/p>\n
12 April: Trump announces the blocking of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n
17 April: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the strait\nwill remain open for the rest of the ceasefire period. However, Trump\nsays the US blockade on Iranian ports will continue.<\/p>\n
18 April: Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) states it\nwill re-block the strait. Trump says \u201cvery good talks\u201d are ongoing, but\nthe US cannot be \u201cthreatened\u201d regarding the shipping lane.<\/p>\n
Why did Iran re-close the Strait of Hormuz?<\/p>\n
Several Tehran state media outlets reported that Iran\u2019s military has\nretaken control of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
The Fars news agency, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps\n(IRGC), along with the Iranian Students News Agency and state\nbroadcaster IRIB, quoted an IRGC statement saying the strait will return\nto its \u201cprevious condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the statement, Iran\u2019s military accused the United States of\n\u201chijacking\u201d and \u201cblockade\u201d amounting to maritime robbery.<\/p>\n
Previously, Iran\u2019s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who\nled Iran\u2019s delegation in the latest talks with the US in Islamabad, said\non X that with the \u201ccontinuation of the [US] blockade,\u201d the strait \u201cwill\nnot remain open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with the announcement, an oil tanker in the Strait<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trump-insists-he-will-not-lift-blockade-until-agreement-reached-with-iran-1776739852", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }