Iran live updates: US blockade of Iran's Strait of Hormuz ports to begin Monday

DAVID BRENNANMon, April 13, 2026 at 7:17 AM UTC

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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

Trump set a deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure. Hours before the deadline expired, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But subsequent U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal. Trump said that Iran's nuclear program was the key sticking point, and said the U.S. would respond with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued ground operations and intense strikes in Lebanon, where it is engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.

Latest Developments

Apr 13, 3:14 AMUS and Iran 'inches away' from understanding in Islamabad, Araghchi says

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post to X on Sunday night that the U.S. and Iran were "inches away" from a memorandum of understanding in talks in Islamabad at the weekend.Talks collapsed after Iran "encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts and blockade," Araghchi alleged. "Zero lessons learned," he added."In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with U.S in good faith to end war," the foreign minister wrote. "Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity."

ABC News - PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appears on ABC News' "This Week" on March 1, 2026

Apr 12, 10:21 PMTrump lashes out against Pope Leo XIV over criticism of Iran war

President Donald Trump on Sunday night lashed out against Pope Leo XIV on social media, calling the first-ever American pontiff “weak” over his calls for the U.S. war in Iran to end. “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote on social media. The president added, “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.” In recent weeks, the Pope has criticized the war in Iran and called for peace in the Middle East. Earlier this month, the Pope asked “all people of goodwill to search always for peace and not violence, to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and which is not resolving anything.” And on Saturday, the Pope referred to the U.S. military offensive in Iran as a “delusion of omnipotence,” imploring the country leaders to come to a peace agreement. -ABC News' Fritz Farrow and Emily Chang

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Apr 12, 5:20 PMUS blockade of Iranian ports to begin Monday, CENTCOM says

U.S. forces will begin a blockade of maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports Monday morning, according to U.S. Central Command."U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation," according to a CENTCOM statement late Sunday afternoon.

U.S. Navy - PHOTO: Guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) sails in the Arabian Sea during Operation Epic Fury, on March 18, 2026.

"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman," the statement continued, adding that CENTCOM forces "will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports."

President Donald Trump said Sunday morning in a post on his social media platform that the U.S. will "immediately" begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, following the failure of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.Commercial mariners will be provided with additional information prior to the start of the blockade, according to CENTCOM, which also advised "all mariners" to monitor advisory broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces "when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches."

Apr 12, 3:04 PMUS-Iran talks stalled over several key issues, US official says

A U.S. official close to the U.S.-Iran negotiations this weekend tells ABC News that the two sides went home Saturday after failing to agree on several key issues, despite President Donald Trump's statements Sunday in a social media post that the "meeting went well" and "most points were agreed to," save for Iran's alleged refusal to abandon their nuclear ambitions.According to the U.S. official, the key points on which Iran would not concede include ending all uranium enrichment, dismantling all major nuclear enrichment facilities and allowing the U.S. to retrieve any highly enriched uranium Iran may possess; accepting a broader peace, security and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies; ending funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis; and fully opening the Strait of Hormuz and not charging tolls for passage.All of these points were red lines for the U.S., the official said.-ABC News' Hannah Demissie and Justin Fishel

Apr 12, 2:34 PMMilitary vessels approaching Strait of Hormuz 'will be met with severe force,' IRGC says

Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Sunday that any military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz "will be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be met with severe force," according to Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency."The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy states that, contrary to the false claims of some enemy officials, the Strait of Hormuz is under smart control and management, and remains open for the safe passage of non-military vessels in accordance with specific regulations," the statement also said.-ABC News' Morgan Winsor and Nasser Atta

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