Tehran/Washington: As US-Iran strains intensified following the breakdown of extended talks in Islamabad with no agreement reached and President Donald Trump signalled an impending naval blockade, Iranian leaders warned of worldwide fuel price jumps that could soon pinch consumers everywhere.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took to social media with a pointed message: “Enjoy the current pump figures. With the so-called ‘blockade’, soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.” The post reportedly exploded in popularity, racking up 20 lakh views in just seven hours.
Failed Talks In Islamabad
The marathon discussions in Pakistan’s capital, stretching from Saturday into early Sunday, represented the first direct U.S.-Iran encounter in more than a decade—the highest-level since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They followed a tentative two-week ceasefire that started last Tuesday, seeking to halt six weeks of deadly conflict that has claimed thousands of lives in the Gulf, crippled energy shipments, and stoked worries of a larger war.
A potential US blockade introduces fresh risks to resolving the standoff, especially with Iran having sealed off vital Strait of Hormuz shipping routes, which sent global oil prices surging roughly 50%.
Details Of US Blockade Plan
The blockade would commence at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) and apply “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,” according to the U.S. military. Ships passing through the strait to non-Iranian ports would face no interference, with advance notices planned for commercial operators.
“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,”
Trump declared on social media, vowing: “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” He also announced U.S. Navy efforts to clear Iranian mines from the strait, which handles about 20% of the world’s energy supplies.
Shipping trackers noted three fully loaded super-tankers navigating the strait Saturday, but by Monday, tankers were bypassing the area in anticipation of the U.S. action.
Outlook For Further Negotiations
Trump offered conflicting signals on diplomacy. On Fox News Sunday, he described the Islamabad talks as “very friendly” and expressed optimism: “I do believe they’re going to come to the table on this, because nobody can be so stupid as to say, ‘We want nuclear weapons,’ and they have no cards.”
Later that evening, after flying back to Washington from Florida, he shrugged off Iran’s return: “If they don’t come back, I’m fine,” he told reporters.
Ghalibaf accused the US of failing to build trust. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, highlighted Tehran’s “forward-looking initiatives” and stressed the need for “a balanced and fair agreement.”
“If the United States returns to the framework of international law, reaching an agreement is not far off,” he said, according to Iranian state media.
