The Liberty Daily 
(The Epoch Times)—The U.S. Navy will begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks with Iran ended without a deal.
“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,” President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on April 12.
Trump criticized Iranian leadership for not allowing ships to freely pass through the crucial waterway, located south of Iran, without fear of hitting an Iranian-planted mine.
“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” Trump said.
Iran allegedly charged some ships a toll of $2 million each to pass through the Strait of Hormuz last week. Five ships allegedly paid the fee.
“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump said.
“We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown to hell!”
The blockade was announced one day after U.S. Central Command confirmed it sent two U.S. missile destroyers—the USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112)—into the waterway to start clearing mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
