Strait of Hormuz shipping halts immediately after US blockade announcement

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has immediately halted after US President Donald Trump announced a blockade on Iranian ports that will take effect at 1400GMT on Monday, a London-based maritime intelligence report said.

Traffic, which had already been operating at reduced levels, suddenly came to a complete standstill as ships began reversing course in the Strait of Hormuz, Lloyd’s List said.

This came as the US escalated mine-clearing operations and accused Iran of failing to honor its commitment to reopen the international waterway.

The US naval blockade announcement came after Washington and Tehran held rare direct talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday to end the war that started on Feb. 28, while the talks failed to produce an agreement.

The talks were held amid a Pakistani-mediated two-week ceasefire that was announced on Tuesday.