Trump gives up on unblocking Hormuz in favour of blocking it himself

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Donald Trump has a new plan to resolve Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz: to impose a blockade. The US military says it will begin doing this at 2pm today, targeting all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports. Hopes for a negotiated agreement between Iran and the US faded on Sunday after Tehran was accused of refusing to abandon its nuclear ambitions and Washington was accused of making unreasonable demands. Trump’s latest gambit raises a series of questions, including what the US will do to foreign-flagged ships that ignore the new blockade and whether the move will push the price of oil to new heights. But Mark Warner, a Democratic senator, cut through the fire, fury and confusion to put it best: “I don’t understand how blockading the strait is going to somehow push the Iranians into opening it.”