President Donald Trump on Monday warned that any Iranian fast attack boats attempting to approach the U.S.-imposed naval blockade around Iran’s ports would be destroyed, intensifying tensions amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict that erupted earlier this year. The blockade, announced Sunday following unsuccessful talks between a U.S. delegation and Iranian officials in Pakistan, is intended to restrict all maritime traffic entering or leaving Iranian harbors in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Trump stated on social media that while the majority of Iran’s navy has already been diminished through wartime actions, any remaining vessels attempting to breach the blockade “will be immediately eliminated.” The U.S. military emphasized that enforcement would be applied impartially against all vessels aiming to dock at or depart from Iranian ports but that ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian ports would not be interfered with. However, as the deadline for blockade enforcement passed on Monday, no official announcement confirmed its activation, nor were any interceptions reported.

The standoff unfolds despite a two-week truce agreed to last Wednesday, accompanied by calls from mediators Pakistan and Qatar to uphold the ceasefire and continue negotiations. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirmed that efforts to resolve outstanding issues remain ongoing. The head of the International Maritime Organization cautioned that no state has the authority to block innocent passage through international straits used for global transit. Similarly, Qatar’s foreign minister urged both sides to ensure freedom of navigation and to avoid leveraging maritime routes as instruments of pressure.

Iran has already closed the Strait of Hormuz to what it designates as enemy shipping, permitting passage only to vessels from countries it considers friendly, such as China. Tehran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf rejected U.S. threats, insisting Iran will not yield, while navy chief Shahram Irani dismissed the blockade as “ridiculous.” Iran’s military described the blockade as an act of piracy and warned that if its port security is threatened, no harbor in the Persian Gulf or Arabian Sea would be safe.

The blockade proposal drew criticism internationally. China, a major importer of Iranian oil and Washington’s strategic rival, underscored the strait’s importance for international trade and energy supplies, urging both sides to avoid reigniting conflict. European reactions were mixed; Spain’s defense minister called the blockade ill-conceived, and Britain’s prime minister stated the UK would not participate. Meanwhile, France and Britain announced plans to convene a separate conference to consider a peaceful multinational mission to secure the strait under strictly defensive rules, conditional on future developments.

Observers note that the blockade aims to pressure Iran economically by restricting its oil exports, particularly targeting Iran’s key customers such as China. Analysts caution that the move could escalate the conflict into a broader war. Diplomatic negotiations face additional hurdles, including Iran’s refusal to curtail its civilian nuclear program despite Russian offers to store enriched uranium safely as part of a deal. Russian officials have confirmed a gradual withdrawal of their personnel from Iran’s nuclear facilities amid ongoing strikes in the region.

As the situation remains fluid, international calls for restraint and dialogue continue even as both sides prepare for possible confrontation at sea.