US blockade of Iranian ports takes effect (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
The US naval blockade of Iranian ports has come into force, heightening fears over security and trade routes in the region and adding to market jitters after US‑Iran talks in Pakistan on Saturday ended without a deal. US Central Command has said that the measures apply to vessels calling at Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
US President Donald Trump has launched a verbal attack on Pope Leo XIV, an outspoken critic of the war on Iran, calling the American-born pontiff “weak.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump – who initially hailed Leo’s election as a “great honor” – said the Pope is “terrible for Foreign Policy,” with the US leader adding that he does not “want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States.” Speaking later aboard Air Force One, Trump doubled down, calling Leo “a liberal person” and saying: “I don’t think he’s doing a very good job... I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo.”
The remarks came after the pontiff intensified calls for peace and diplomacy in the Middle East. On Friday, Leo wrote that “God does not bless any conflict” and “no cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood.”
On Monday, the Pope reiterated his stance, saying he “will continue to speak out loudly against war.”
He added he was “not afraid” of Trump and refused to “get into a debate” with the US president. A senior Vatican official later dismissed Trump’s insults as “a declaration of impotence.”
The clash comes as Trump refused to rule out resuming “limited” strikes on Iran after ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The move followed the collapse of 21-hour US-Iran talks in Pakistan at the weekend, which Tehran said broke down over “excessive” and “unreasonable” US demands. The US Department of War said enforcement of the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports will begin at 10:00 AM ET (14:00 GMT) on April 13.
The announcement sent global oil prices back above $100 and prompted Iran to warn any hostile activity in the strait would be met with force, declaring no port in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman would remain secure if its own ports are targeted.
Here are the latest developments:
- Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Trump’s planned Hormuz blockade “makes no sense,” calling it part of a “downward spiral.”
- China warned the blockade threatens global trade, stressing the strait must remain “safe, stable, and unimpeded.”
- The UK said it will not join the blockade, adding Hormuz “must not be subject to tolling.”
- Iran said it is weighing tolls on all vessels transiting Hormuz, not just oil shipments.
- More than 32 million people could be pushed into poverty by the war’s fallout, the UN Development Program warned.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
13 April 2026
22:43 GMTThe EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc does not support any attempts to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“It’s not entirely clear what action the US is taking,” Kallas told the BBC, adding that the EU does not support any tolls or blockages. “It must be clear that there is no danger,” she said.
- 22:04 GMT
The US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and three escort ships are sailing around the African continent en route to the Persian Gulf, USNI News reported.
According to USNI, the United States gave neutral ships until 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday (2:00 p.m. GMT) to leave Iranian ports.
A third U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), has reportedly crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and is expected to arrive in the area of U.S. operations near Iran within 3–5 days, potentially before the end of the current ceasefire. pic.twitter.com/3YsJrUlmqs
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 13, 2026 - 21:36 GMT
Preliminary estimates show that the damage to Iran from US and Israeli attacks amounts to $270 billion, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told RIA Novosti.
Mohajerani said Iran would pursue “legal means” to seek compensation, including for the families affected by strikes on a girls’ elementary school in Minab that killed 175 people, most of them children.
- 20:58 GMT
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has praised Pope Leo XIV for his “fearless stand,” calling his leadership an “inspiration to millions.”
The remarks come as the pontiff engaged in a bitter spat with President Donald Trump, condemning what he described as “war crimes” committed by the US and Israel. Trump retaliated against the Chicago-born pope, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”
- 20:39 GMT
The International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and International Energy Agency have urged countries around the globe against imposing export control measures and hoarding energy supplies for themselves. Such behavior could only worsen the situation, which the bodies believe to be the biggest ever shock experienced by global energy markets.
“First do no harm,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters after a meeting with the IEA and World Bank chiefs.
- 20:12 GMT
Diplomacy between Iran and the US “has not totally collapsed” despite the Islamabad talks ending without an agreement, Major General Zahid Mahmood, principal at Pakistan’s NUST Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, has told RT. He called the new US naval blockade “an extremely dangerous proposition,” warning that remilitarizing the Strait of Hormuz would have “international implications” and emphasizing that the waterway is international and involves other stakeholders.
- 19:56 GMT
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned Trump’s tirade against Pope Leo XIV, calling his remarks “unacceptable.” In a published statement, she said “the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and proper that he call for peace and condemn all forms of war.”
- 19:43 GMT
The next round of direct talks between Iran and the US is reportedly expected to take place in Islamabad on Thursday, according to a source in Tehran cited by The Atlantic writer Arash Azizi on X.
- 19:34 GMT
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said Britain will host talks with France this week aimed at what he described as a “diplomatic” negotiated end to the Iran war so the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened. Starmer has earlier ruled out UK participation in enforcing the US blockade, telling the BBC that London’s focus is on restoring traffic through the waterway and bringing down energy prices “as quickly as possible.”
- 19:10 GMT
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi have held a telephone call to discuss the latest regional developments and the recent Iran‑US talks in Islamabad, according to a post on the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s official Telegram channel.
