US blockade of Iranian ports to start as Trump threatens to hit infrastructure

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz (Altaf Qadri,File/AP)

The US military announced it will begin a blockade of all Iranianports on Monday, tempering President Donald Trump’s earlier vow to entirely block the strategic Strait of Hormuz as early reports indicated that ships had stopped crossing the waterway.

The move came after marathon US-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, and it set the stage for a showdown. Iranian leaders vowed to counter the blockade.