Middle East crisis live: Iran warns US blockade of strait of Hormuz would violate ceasefire
The smell of stale coffee is lingering in the office today, which feels appropriate given the news. US Central Command announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning at 10 am ET. It’s a major escalation. Per the official proclamation, Centcom forces are set to restrict all maritime traffic entering or exiting Iranian ports. The Revolutionary Guard immediately fired back, stating that any military vessels approaching the strait would be seen as a direct violation of the existing ceasefire.
Markets reacted instantly. Oil prices jumped—US crude climbed 8% to $104.24 a barrel, and Brent rose 7% to $102.29. Even the Australian share market took a hit early Monday. It’s all moving very fast, or maybe just feeling that way. Misryoum reports that Trump and his team are also considering a return to limited military strikes, according to sources familiar with the situation.
In a bizarre turn, Trump went after Pope Leo XIV on Truth Social. He called the Pope “weak on crime” and claimed he was bad for the Catholic Church. This happened right after the Pope denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” regarding the US-Israel war in Iran. I’m not sure why he chose this moment to pick that fight, honestly. It feels like a distraction, or maybe it’s just the usual approach.
Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese mentioned that Australia hasn’t been asked to join the blockade—which is interesting. He said he still wants to see actual negotiations happen between the two sides. But Trump seems to have other plans. He’s back to threatening Iran’s civilian energy infrastructure, telling Fox News, “I could take out Iran in one day.” He even dismissed the strategic importance of the strait entirely, saying, “We don’t need the strait. We have so much oil.”
It’s a lot to process. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliamentary speaker, wasn’t having it. He said, “If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic.” He also taunted Trump on X, essentially telling him to enjoy the current gas prices while they last, because things are about to get much more expensive.
Whether this leads to a full-scale collapse of the ceasefire or—well, I suppose we’ll see by the end of the week. It’s hard to tell where the posturing ends and the actual policy starts.