Middle East crisis live: Iran warns US blockade of strait of Hormuz would violate ceasefire

Centcom says blockade of Iranian ports to begin at 10am ET; Iran’s negotiator says ‘we will not bow to threats’; oil prices rise. Follow the latest news Full report: Trump says US will blockade Strait of Hormuz after Iran peace talks fail Planeloads of negotiators and too little time: US and Iran’s 21 hours of talks Reports indicate that the reopening of the strait was one of the major sticking points in the weekend negotiations between the US and Iran . Tehran has indicated it would like to retain control of the waterway after the war has finished, and has floated a plan to charge a fee of up to $2m a ship to transit through the waterway. Donald Trump and other world leaders have rejected such a plan as an attack on “freedom of navigation”. Despite the US president’s claims that reopening the waterway is not his responsibility, he is under pressure to resolve the issue before the continued closure of the strait unleashes an even greater crisis for the Global Economy. The reality is, this mission is difficult to execute alone and likely unsustainable over the medium to long-term.” Continue reading...