Iran warns Americans to ‘enjoy’ gas prices as Trump orders Hormuz ‘blockade’: LIVE UPDATES

US Central Command has announced that it will begin enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10am ET on April 13, acting under what it described as President Donald Trump’s “proclamation.”

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM said, promising not to "impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports."

The US military added that commercial mariners would receive further guidance through a formal notice before the operation begins, and advised vessels in the Gulf of Oman and near the approaches to Hormuz to monitor official maritime broadcasts and contact US naval forces on channel 16.

Iran’s embassy in Thailand has mocked President Trump’s decision to blockade the Strait of Hormuz in order to free the waterway as “comical”.

“The new move from Trump against our country is so comical that we don’t even have a meme for it,” the mission said in a post on X.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran engaged “in good faith” in the Islamabad talks and came within inches of an “Islamabad MoU” before the process was derailed by “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.”

“Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity,” he added in a pointed warning to Washington.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked Donald Trump’s blockade threat by warning American drivers that fuel prices could soon surge far beyond current levels.

“Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, Soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas,” Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X, sharing a map of gas prices near the White House.

Oil prices have jumped sharply after the Pentagon announced a US naval blockade targeting Iranian ports, with fresh fears of disruption around the Strait of Hormuz jolting energy markets.

Market screens showed WTI crude up 8.41% to $104.69 and Brent up 7.46% to $102.30, pushing the global benchmark back above the $100 mark.

US gasoline prices have surged since the late-February attack on Iran, with the conflict disrupting global oil supplies and forcing American drivers to cut back on spending.

Fuel costs have climbed above $4 per gallon nationwide, rising by roughly 25% to 30% over the past month, with the national average reaching about $4.16, up around 8 cents in a week.

Global crude markets remain highly volatile, with prices swinging more on Trump’s rhetoric than on developments on the ground, where a tentative ceasefire continues to hold despite the collapse of talks.

Former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who helped steer the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has warned against expecting any quick breakthrough between Washington and Tehran after the failed Islamabad talks. 

“It took us 12 years and an immense amount of technical work, anyone seriously thought an agreement could be reached in 21 hours….?” Mogherini wrote in a post on X.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, reached in 2015, was negotiated between Iran and the E3/EU+3 – China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the EU coordinating the process – and was designed to keep Iran’s nuclear programme exclusively peaceful in exchange for sanctions relief. The US unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 during Trump’s first term.

Australia has signaled it is not preparing to join the US naval blockade around Hormuz, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying Canberra has not been asked to take part and ministers stressing that diplomacy remains the best path forward.

“We haven’t been asked to participate. We’ve received no requests. We haven’t been asked … and I don’t expect that we will be,” Albanese told local media.

Besides the announced US blockade targeting Iranian ports and traffic around the Strait of Hormuz, Trump is considering resuming “limited” strikes against Iranian infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing sources.

READ MORE: White House warns staff over Iran war bets – media

The US president has also not ruled out a broader bombing campaign, though officials say that is less likely because of the risk of wider regional destabilization and his reluctance to enter a prolonged conflict.

“I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalination plants, their power plants, which are very easy to hit,” Trump told Fox News earlier on Sunday.

A White House spokesperson declined to detail specific plans, saying the president “keeps all additional options on the table” and dismissing reports about his next steps as speculation.

Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who previously served on Iran’s nuclear diplomacy team, says the failed Pakistan talks still showed that a diplomatic channel remains open between Tehran and Washington.

“No one expected a big deal in Pakistan after 40 days of war. Nevertheless, it was high-level direct negotiations, and they can continue to resolve the two remaining issues,” Mousavian told Al Jazeera.

According to Mousavian, the two main sticking points are now clear: freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear enrichment. “I believe there is a solution for both,” he said, suggesting that despite the deadlock in Islamabad, there is still room for further negotiations.