The United States military has announced it will enforce a naval blockade on all Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday, following the breakdown of ceasefire talks over the weekend. The move escalates tensions in the six-week conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, which has already caused significant damage and loss of life without toppling Tehran's regime or ending its nuclear ambitions.
The Strait of Hormuz has become Iran's most effective weapon in its asymmetric war, with Tehran effectively closing the vital waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas supply previously moved. The blockade has triggered a global economic crisis, driving up oil prices and fuelling fears of damaging inflation, while exports of essential goods like fertilisers for food production have collapsed.
President Donald Trump, scrambling to respond to the fallout, threatened on Sunday to impose his own blockade, pushing global markets into further uncertainty. Questions remain over how the US will enforce the blockade and what impact it will have on already strained global supply chains.
