The U.S. military officially began its blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas at 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday (April 13).

The decision tempers an earlier announcement by President Donald Trump to block the Strait of Hormuz amid reports that ships stopped crossing the crucial waterway. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the Strait of Hormuz would remain under its "full control" and military would get a "forceful response" after Trump's threat.

The U.S. military claimed that two destroyers had transited the strait prior to mine-clearing work, marking the first instance since the war began, though Iran denied it. U.S. Central Command said it would began a blockade of Iranian reports beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET, claiming the blockade would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations” entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas but still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the waterway.

Trump shared a post on his Truth Social account Sunday (April 12) morning announcing the blockade in an effort to fight back against what he called "WORLD EXTORTION" by Iran amid reports that Tehran would charge costly tolls through the crucial oil chokepoint. The president's post was shared after Vice President JD Vance said U.S. officials were unable to reach an agreement with Iranian officials on a peace deal during negotiations between the two sides in Islamabad, Pakistan, during a press conference early Sunday morning.

"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran, much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vance said via USA TODAY.

The vice president claimed that negotiations failed due to Iran's refusal to commit to not developing nuclear weapons now or in the future during the first face-to-face meetings between the two countries in 47 years.

"So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement, we've made very clear what our red lines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on, and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on," Vance said via USA TODAY.

Trump had already claimed that the United States had won regardless of any outcome of the negotiations while speaking form the White House earlier on Saturday (April 11) before leaving for Miami, Florida.

"Regardless what happens, we win," Trump said via UDA STODAY. "We totally defeated that country. And so let's see what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don't. From the standpoint of America, we win."

Trump had previously announced a two-week ceasefire agreement hinging on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a vital waterway for trade along the Persian Gulf responsible for an estimated 20% of the world's oil supply traveling through and has been blockaded by Iran in retaliation of the war, leading to a spike in gas prices. Iran agreed to reopen the Strait under the 10-point ceasefire plan, with the American government described s "workable," before Tehran officials claimed they plan to charge $2 million to pass through, which they said would be used to rebuild infrastructure damaged by the U.S. and Israel during 'Operation Epic Fury' and later closed the waterway in response to Israel's

“There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” Trump said in response to the report via the New York Post.

Simon Conway