Islamabad has failed - Trump blocks the Strait of Hormuz and threatens Iran with the end

Dubai - The peace talks in Pakistan ended after 21 hours without a result. What came afterward did not take long.

Donald Trump posted from his account that the US Navy would from now on block all ship traffic attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz - in both directions. No ship in, no ship out. Twenty percent of the world’s oil flows through this narrow passage. Trump knows that. He has said it himself.

See also our article: 21 hours in Islamabad – no deal – and Trump watches UFC

Anyone who has so far paid Iran a transit fee is to be intercepted on the high seas. “No one who has paid an illegal fee will have safe passage on the world’s oceans,” Trump wrote. And then, almost in passing: Iran should know that the United States is “fully prepared” to end the war - “whatever is left of Iran.”

Read that again.

According to the Iranian side, the talks in Islamabad did not fail because of the nuclear program. An Iranian diplomatic representative said it was false that Iran had refused to give up nuclear weapons. Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, but it has the right to civilian nuclear energy - a right that must be recognized. Iran is willing to limit its nuclear activities within the framework of confidence-building measures, including enrichment levels. Why the talks nevertheless failed, he did not say. The confidentiality of the negotiations prevents it.

The American side sees it differently. For Trump, the nuclear program is the reason for everything. No nuclear weapons - that is the starting point. What comes after, they will see.

Ali Vaez, Iran director of the International Crisis Group, does not believe that war will break out again immediately. What is more likely is a volatile phase of pressure, signals, and last attempts to prevent a larger escalation. He calls it a “three-track approach” - backchannel mediation by Pakistan, military maneuvers around the Strait of Hormuz, and further efforts to maintain the two-week pause in fighting.

While Trump orders the blockade, Sultan Al Jaber speaks out - head of ADNOC, the state oil company of Abu Dhabi and one of the world’s largest oil exporters. Iran has no right to close the Strait of Hormuz. Any attempt to do so is not a regional problem, but a direct threat to the energy, food, and health security of every country on Earth. ADNOC had already declared force majeure in March - the company could no longer meet its delivery obligations. Oil and gas account for 15 percent of the gross domestic product of the United Arab Emirates.

Wladimir Putin spoke by phone on Sunday with Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian informed Putin about the failed talks in Pakistan and thanked Moscow for its stance on de-escalation. Putin emphasized his willingness to contribute to a diplomatic solution.

Die Europäische Union glaubt noch an Diplomatie. Anouar El Anouni, Sprecher für Außenpolitik der 27 Nationen, sagte, die EU sei überzeugt, dass Diplomatie der einzige Weg sei, alle offenen Fragen zu lösen. Man werde zu allen diplomatischen Bemühungen beitragen.

The European Union still believes in diplomacy. Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for foreign policy of the 27 nations, said the EU is convinced that diplomacy is the only way to resolve all open issues. They will contribute to all diplomatic efforts.

Those who are not asked when war is decided are allowed to clean up afterward. That is what is called partnership.

This is what the situation looks like: The United States is blocking one of the most important shipping routes in the world. Iran insists on its right to uranium enrichment. Russia is making calls. An expert explains why it is not burning again yet. And Trump writes that he is ready to end “whatever is left of Iran.”

Somewhere between these sentences lies the world we will wake up to tomorrow.