Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Tehran had been just "inches away" from a deal with Washington during weekend talks with the United States in Islamabad.

"Iran engaged with US in good faith to end war," he said in a post on X.

But when "just inches away" from an agreement in Islamabad, "we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade," he added.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday the US Navy would start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks with Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardising a fragile two-week ceasefire.

It would be "enforced 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," a United States Central Command statement on X said.

US forces would not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports, and additional information would be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to the start of the blockade, it said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards responded to Trump by warning that military vessels approaching the Strait will be considered a ceasefire breach and dealt with harshly and decisively, underlining the risk of a dangerous escalation. (Agencies)



Edited by Azam Khan