blockade

Bamako, Mali’s sprawling capital and a West African commercial centre of more than three million people, is facing a tightening siege as Islamist militants step up a partial blockade days after the defence minister was assassinated there. "Our army isn't capable of protecting us. How are we going to get back home?" a mother-of-two told the BBC after being unable to return to Bamako following a visit to her parents outside the city. She was among dozens left stranded for nearly a day on the Bamako-Kéniéba highway, one…

With oil markets on edge and diplomacy stalled, US President Donald Trump has been weighing how to cushion the fallout from a potential months-long US blockade of Iran's ports, according to a White House official, while pressing Tehran to “get smart soon” and agree to a deal. The discussion with US oil executives yesterday came after several days of impasse in efforts to end the conflict, which has prompted the United States to squeeze Iran’s oil exports through a naval blockade in an attempt to force Tehran to reopen the…

Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on a temporary basis after a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, fueling hopes that diplomacy could gain traction, while warning that the vital shipping lane could be shut again if the recent US Navy blockade of Iranian ports continued. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a social media post that the strait, one of the world’s most sensitive arteries for energy shipments, would remain open to all commercial traffic for the duration of the US-brokered 10-day truce. The ceasefire was struck on…

Thursday April 16, 2026 A tense standoff at one of the world’s most vital shipping corridors escalated sharply after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the United States and Iran ended without an agreement, prompting Washington to announce a blockade. A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province on April 12, 2026. / Reuters Tehran quickly responded with its own threat, warning that if the US naval blockade persists, Iran could move to choke trade routes through the Red Sea as well as the…

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran escalated its standoff with Washington on Wednesday, warning that it could sever commercial shipping through the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman if the United States keeps up its naval blockade of Iranian ports. In a statement carried on Iranian state television, the head of Iran’s military central command said the U.S. campaign to stop Iranian commercial vessels and oil tankers could unravel the fragile ceasefire now in place. Ali Abdollahi, a senior figure in the Iranian military command,…

The US military said it had brought Iran’s seaborne trade to a standstill, even as President Donald Trump signaled that diplomacy with Tehran could restart as soon as this week to try to end the war. Mr Trump said US and Iranian officials could be back at the table in Pakistan within the next two days, while Vice President JD Vance, who led weekend negotiations that failed to produce a breakthrough, said he remained encouraged by the current state of play. "I think you're going to be watching an amazing two days ahead," Mr…

A fresh US military move at Iran’s ports is set to squeeze global oil supplies, threatening to keep roughly two million barrels a day of Iranian crude off the market and raising the stakes for energy traders already on edge. Below is a closer look at the blockade and what it could mean for oil flows worldwide. What was announced? After weekend peace talks in Islamabad between negotiators from the US and Iran ended without an agreement, President Donald Trump said the US Navy “will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all…

Fresh hopes for diplomacy emerged on Monday as the United States and Iran appeared poised to return to Islamabad for another round of talks aimed at ending the war, sources told Reuters, even after weekend negotiations collapsed and Washington responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran denounced the US move in fierce terms, but the prospect that back-channel efforts were still alive helped steady oil markets, sending benchmark crude back below $100 a barrel. The weekend meeting in Pakistan's capital — the…

A prolonged US blockade of one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints threatens to send fresh shocks through energy markets and supply chains, raising new risks and costs for economies far beyond the Gulf. By Sanjoy Paul, University of Technology Sydney For weeks, the global economy has been fixated on a single question: when will the Strait of Hormuz fully reopen? Following Iran’s war with Israel and the United States, Tehran has in effect shut the narrow passage, a route that normally carries about one-fifth of…

Monday April 13, 2026 A ship at the Strait of Hormuz Oil markets surged back above $100 a barrel on Monday as trading resumed in Asia, after US-Iran talks collapsed without a fresh agreement and President Donald Trump said he would blockade Iranian ports. Brent crude, the global benchmark, climbed 7.3% to $102.30 (£76.32), while US West Texas Intermediate rose 8.7% to $104.94. The breakdown in weekend negotiations has deepened fears that the worldwide energy crunch could worsen. Crude had fallen sharply below $100 last…