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President Trump announced the U.S. is imposing a naval blockade on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, several hours after peace talks in Pakistan ended in failure.

Why it matters: Iran has effectively held the strait hostage, imposing a toll and limiting oil exports. Trump's blockade aims to flip that dynamic by denying Iran the leverage it's using as a bargaining chip and preventing it from exporting its oil.

Trump has been discussing the blockade option with his team for several days, as a contingency plan if the diplomatic talks fell through. 

"We want to take this card from the Iranians," a senior U.S. official said. 

What they're saying: "Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on his Truth Social.

He added that the U.S. Navy will "seek and interdict" vessels that have paid a toll to Iran in order to pass through the strait. 

"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," he stressed. 

Trump said Iran tried to "extort" the world by intimidating ship owners and saying it laid mines in the strait.

"Iran promised to open the Strait of Hormuz, and they knowingly failed to do so...as they promised, they better begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!" he wrote.

What to watch: Trump noted the blockade will begin "shortly" and added that during the blockade U.S. forces will destroy the mines the Iranians laid in the strait. It is unclear where these mines are located.

He said other countries will also participate in the blockade. 

"Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL! Iran knows, better than anyone, how to END this situation which has already devastated their Country," he said. 

Driving the news: The U.S. and Iran didn't reach an agreement during marathon negotiations on Saturday in Pakistan.

The deadlock in the talks puts the two-week ceasefire reached last week in limbo, with the possibility of renewed and escalating warfare.

According to a source briefed on the talks, some of the disagreements had to do with Iran's demand to control the Strait of Hormuz and refusal to give up on its enriched uranium stockpile.

Between the lines: Chinese, Indian and Pakistani ships have been among the few to transit the strait under deals with Tehran, meaning Trump's interdiction order could put the U.S. on a collision course with more countries depending on Iran for oil.

U.S. warships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday for the first time since the war began, in a mine-clearing mission that Iran reportedly called a ceasefire violation.

Behind the scenes: Trump said on Sunday he has been fully debriefed by the U.S. negotiations team: Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, on the details of the meeting in Islamabad.

He claimed the meeting "went well" and that during the 21 hours of talks, U.S. negotiators "became...very friendly and respectful of Iran's Representatives." 

Trump also claimed that "most points were agreed to" but stressed there was no agreement on the nuclear issue, which he stressed was the "only point that really mattered."

He claimed Iranian negotiators "were very unyielding" about the nuclear program. "IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!" Trump wrote. 

What's next: Trump stressed that Iran's continued nuclear aspiration are the reason U.S.  military operations need to continue "to conclusion." 

"At an appropriate moment, we are fully "LOCKED AND LOADED," and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!" Trump wrote.

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.

Trump announces naval blockade on Iran after peace talks collapse

The U.S. will stop ships that paid Iran's toll.

President Donald Trump talks to reporters on the tarmac before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

President Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One en route to Charlottesville, Va., at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on April 10, 2026. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Donald Trump

Iran

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

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The scandal surrounding Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is rapidly ballooning and could jolt a surge of expulsion votes for at least three of his House colleagues as soon as the chamber returns from recess next week.

Why it matters: Multiple members in the 119th Congress accused of grave misbehavior have so far survived every push to oust them. The bill may finally be coming due.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced plans to force a vote next week to expel Swalwell, who is facing allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment, which he denies. 

Democrats plan to counter with a vote to expel Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), as Axios first reported. 

If those votes succeed — which may be a long-shot, given that expulsion requires a two-thirds majority in the House — votes to expel Reps. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) could follow, sources said.

What we're hearing: Lawmakers in both parties are exasperated with recent ethics and sex scandals, and some are privately entertaining the catharsis of a proverbial bloodletting.

"People feel confident that the allegations against all four are credible," said one House Democrat, who added that many members "are frustrated ... by what feels like a bottleneck of scandals without any real accountability yet in any one."

A second House Democrat said: "We want a full house cleaning. Get the garbage out of here. These jerks are destroying Congress, for the American people and for all of us who came here to do good work."

These lawmakers, like others quoted in this story, spoke to Axios on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts about sensitive internal dynamics.

"I'm interested," a senior House Democrat told Axios of the prospect of expelling all four accused members in one go.

"I think there's an appetite to do it and just rip the Band-Aid off once," a fourth House Democrat said, though they said that is "probably hard to accomplish."

A House Republican told Axios "it's wise way to go."

"I would support it," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said in a post on X that he would vote to expel both Swalwell and Gonzales.

State of play: Swalwell is facing allegations of rape, sexual assault and harassment from four women. He has denied the allegations, vowing to fight them even as support for his California gubernatorial campaign deteriorates.

Gonzales admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide and is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty by the Ethics Committee on a litany of charges, most notably that she funneled $5 million in Covid relief funds to her congressional campaign. She has denied wrongdoing.

Mills is under investigation by the Ethics Committee on an array of allegations including financial misconduct, campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct, all of which he denies.

Yes, but: If House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) agree on one thing, it's allowing members to have what they see as sufficient due process before any retaliatory action is taken.

Many rank-and-file House members are territorial about their prerogatives and terrified of the precedent it would set to expel someone on the basis of allegations that haven't been fully adjudicated — even when they are highly unsavory.

"I don't want Congress to turn [into] the morality police," said a fifth House Democrat, who told Axios that "if you commit a crime and [are] found guilty, you shouldn't be there."

A senior House Republican told Axios sarcastically: "While we're at it, let's cut Congress in half and I get to choose who stays."

Between the lines: Multiple lawmakers predicted an alternative to expulsion could be a bevy of half-measures, such as censure.

"I think Eric may have tipped the scale and we may go back down the process of censuring. I think expelling is a whole [different] kettle of fish," a sixth House Democrat told Axios.

"But," this lawmaker added, "people want some way to show they are outraged."

"This Eric thing has stunned many," a seventh House Democrat said. "I have never seen people be so swift in condemning."

Flashback: House Republican leadership opposed an expulsion resolution targeting former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) in 2023 to protect their narrow majority, but that didn't stop it from passing anyway. 

Santos, a serial liar who was indicted twice in under a year after his election, became only the sixth lawmaker in centuries of the U.S. House to face expulsion by colleagues.

Rank-and-file Republicans were so fed up with his all-encompassing scandals that 105 of them defied that edict and voted with Democrats to oust the serial fraudster.

Between the lines: This time, the political considerations are a less glaring factor. With two Republicans and two Democrats potentially ousted, there would be no net change in the balance of power in the House.

"There's a symmetry to it, two dems and two republicans, all of whom have no support among their peers," an eighth House Democrat said. 

The bottom line: To some lawmakers, censure simply isn't enough to address the severity of some of this alleged misconduct.

"There was already strong feelings among many that [Cherfilus-McCormick] should have been out before we left for break," the first House Democrat said.

Said the first House Democrat: "We aren't credible messengers against the administration when we hide behind rhetorical condemnation and perpetual process excuses."

Swalwell scandal threatens cascade of House expulsion votes

"We want a full house cleaning," one House Democrat said. "Get the garbage out of here."

A man in a navy suit and white shirt sits at a formal hearing desk with a laptop, looking toward the camera; blurred colleagues and a nameplate reading "MR. SWALWELL" appear in the background.

Rep. Eric Swalwell attends a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 22 at the Rayburn House Office Building. Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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It increasingly looks as if the inflation problem that emerged five years ago wasn't a one-off event, but the defining economic challenge of the decade — and Americans don't like it one bit.

The big picture: Price pressures were already reaccelerating in the last few months, and that was before the U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran disrupted global energy supplies.

Since the initial outburst in 2021, economists have taken solace that price spikes could be chalked up to one-time factors: pandemic supply chain snarls, excessive stimulus, the Ukraine war, tariffs and now Iran.

But when those seemingly one-off events pile up on top of each other, it no longer looks like a spurt of bad luck, but rather a resetting of prices across the economy.

Recent data provides overwhelming evidence of both how persistent 2020s-style inflation has proven to be and just how much people hate it.

Driving the news: The 21.2% surge in gasoline prices in March was the biggest single-month percentage increase in records that date back to the 1960s.

That drove the overall Consumer Price Index to its highest one-month surge since the peak of the Biden-era inflation in 2022. The year-over-year reading reached 3.3%, its highest in nearly two years.

Higher gasoline prices are a first-order effect. The downstream effects on airfares, agricultural products and shipped goods haven't shown up in the data yet.

Even before the March price surge, a separate inflation measure favored by the Federal Reserve showed a 4.1% annual rate of inflation over the three months that ended in February.

Zoom in: The build-up in inflation has been accompanied by a collapse in Americans' attitudes toward the economy. 

The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment reading for April fell to its lowest level in data that dates back decades, below even the worst of the Biden-era inflation or the depths of the financial crisis.

That's despite the reality that many conventional big-picture measures of well-being are pretty solid, including GDP growth.

The "misery index" — the sum of the unemployment rate and inflation — was 7.6% in March, far below its levels in 2022 or the early 2010s.

Stunning stat: The terrible sentiment number makes more sense if seen as the consequence of a half-decade of price pressures, rather than just the latest headlines from the Persian Gulf.

Since January 2021, consumer prices have climbed a cumulative 26%.

State of play: Even as price pressures build, job prospects have started looking worse. 

The rate at which companies have hired new workers fell in February to match the lowest levels of the pandemic, and the last time it was lower was in 2010.

A relatively benign unemployment rate has meant things are OK for those who have jobs, but low hiring rates are bad news for recent college grads or those who lose their jobs.

Wages are no longer rising as they did earlier in the inflationary surge. Average hourly earnings were up 3.5% for the year ended in March, compared with 5.9% in 2022.

And this is all happening at a time when the disruption to labor demand from AI is in its early phases.

The bottom line: Americans are deeply angry at the constellation of economic forces buffeting them, starting with higher prices and diminished job prospects.

Both are poised to get worse before they get better.

Why inflation is the economic problem of the decade

When seemingly one-off events pile up on top of each other, prices get reset across the economy.

Illustration of a rocket made of money, on fire, shooting into the sky. 

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The U.S. and Iran didn't reach an agreement during marathon negotiations on Saturday in Pakistan.

Why it matters: The deadlock in the talks puts the two-week ceasefire agreed last week in limbo, with the possibility of renewed and escalating warfare.

What he's saying: Vice President Vance said the U.S. and Iran had "substantive discussions" over 21 hours but couldn't bridge the gaps.

"This is bad news for Iran much more than this is bad new for the U.S.," he stressed. "We have made very clear what our red lines are…and they have chosen not to accept our terms."

Vance said the U.S. wanted to a long-term "affirmative commitment" from Iran not to seek a nuclear weapon or the tools that would enable them to produce one quickly. "We haven't seen that yet, we hope that we will," he said. 

Vance claimed the U.S. was "quite flexible and accommodating" and negotiated "in good faith" but couldn't make significant progress.  

Immediately after the four-minute press conference, Vance departed Islamabad for Washington. 

The other side: Several Iranian media outlets said after Vance's press conference that the talks failed because the U.S. side was not realistic and had  "excessive demands."

Behind the scenes: The U.S. and Iranian delegations met over several rounds in multiple formats. The talks began on Saturday and ended in the early hours of Sunday local time.

Vance said the U.S. negotiating team spoke with President Trump at least half-a-dozen times during the day. 

They also spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and CENTCOM commander Amd. Brad Cooper.

Between the lines: No one expected a final agreement on Saturday, but the U.S. side hoped for sufficient momentum to keep negotiating, even if that meant extending the ceasefire.

Vance's brief remarks conveyed little such optimism, though he did not say the U.S. was walking away.

What to watch: "We leave here with a very simple proposal. A method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We will see if the Iranians accept it," Vance said. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

U.S.-Iran talks end with no deal

If the war resumes, it could escalate dramatically.

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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) lost the last of the 21 endorsements he had from fellow Democratic members of Congress on Saturday as Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) rescinded her support for his gubernatorial campaign.

Why it matters: It's a stunning reversal of political fortunes in just 24 hours. Swalwell was among the frontrunners in the race, but his campaign is in free fall due to allegations of rape, sexual assault and misconduct, which he denies.

His page on the Democratic fundraising website ActBlue and the endorsement tab on his website have been pulled down, his ad buys are being pulled back, at least one fundraiser has been scrapped, and he is reportedly hemorrhaging staff.

It doesn't end there: Swalwell is under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) plans to force a vote to expel him from Congress.

Swalwell said in a video posted to social media Friday: "These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen, they never happened."

Driving the news: "The allegations of sexual assault against Eric Swalwell are deeply disturbing and disqualifying. I am retracting my endorsement of his candidacy for Governor," Grijalva wrote in a post on X.

Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) also rescinded their endorsements of Swalwell on Saturday.

They joined Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and over a dozen other House Democrats who unendorsed Swalwell on Friday, with Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) resigning as a campaign chair.

Several other endorsers, including multiple California state legislators and powerful labor unions, also retracted their support.

Between the lines: It's not just Swalwell's erstwhile endorsers calling for him to drop out of the race — party leaders are urging him to do so as well.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said in a joint statement that he should "immediately end his campaign."

California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement: "My call for all — repeat, all — candidates for Governor to 'honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign' still stands. In fact, that call is more important now than ever before."

allegations of sexual assault and misconduct

Swalwell loses all 21 of his endorsements from Dem colleagues

It is a stunning reversal for Swalwell in the 24 hours after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

A man in a black blazer speaks into a microphone on a stage with a blue backdrop showing a yellow bear and Swalwell for Governor; drums and a guitar sit left, under purple and red stage lights.

Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks at a campaign event in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2026. Photo: Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Several U.S. Navy ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a U.S. official told Axios

Why it matters: The move, which was not coordinated with Iran, was the first time U.S. warships crossed the strait since the beginning of the war.

It came as peace talks between the two sides kicked off in Pakistan. 

"This was an operation that focused on freedom of navigation through International waters," the U.S. official said.

Driving the news: The official said the Navy ships crossed the strait from east to west to the Gulf, and then made their way back through the strait to the Arabian Sea. 

The Iranian government reportedly called the crossing a ceasefire violation and threatened to attack the ships, per state media reports.

A U.S. official says the U.S. received no such warning. 

Zoom out: The U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement that two guided-missile destroyers, the USS Frank E. Peterson and the USS Michael Murphy, "transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf."

The operation was part of a broader mission "to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps," CENTCOM said.

Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days, CENTCOM said. 

"Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce," said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, in the statement. 

The big picture: The reopening of the strait was a key provision in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal. 

The narrow waterway off Iran's southern coast is vital to the normal functioning of the global economy.

For several days after the ceasefire was announced very few ships crossed. There were reports Saturday morning that at least three oil-carrying supertankers crossed — a tentative sign of movement, though a tiny fraction of normal. 

A U.S. official admitted earlier this week that ships were not moving through because they were intimidated by the Iranians. 

What they're saying: President Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that the threat that a ship may "bunk" into sea mines was the only thing Iran had to intimidate them from crossing the strait. 

'We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others," he wrote. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details on the crossing. 

U.S. warships cross Strait of Hormuz for first time since Iran war began

The crossing was not coordinated with Iran.

A naval vessel in a waterway with a mountain behind. 

A naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz in March 2026. Photo: Sahar AL ATTAR / AFP via Getty Images

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) plans to force a vote to expel Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) next week over sexual assault and misconduct allegations, Axios has learned. Swalwell denies the allegations.

Why it matters: Democrats are set to respond by moving in turn to expel Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who's being investigated by House Ethics over sexual misconduct allegations, two Democratic leadership aides told Axios.

Swalwell has faced calls from Democratic Party leaders and House colleagues to drop his bid for California governor, though few have called for his outright resignation or expulsion from Congress.

Swalwell said in a video posted to social media on Friday: "These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen, they never happened."

Gonzales, who has dropped his bid for reelection, admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, calling it a "lapse in judgment."

Driving the news: The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions, including a first instance in 2019.

Shortly after the Chronicle story published, CNN ran a detailed report with four women accusing Swalwell of various acts of sexual misconduct.

In his denial video, Swalwell apologized to his wife for unspecified mistakes.

State of play: Swalwell is shedding endorsements fast, with even Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), one of his campaign chairs, rescinding his support.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have called for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial campaign.

Swalwell's page on the Democratic fundraising site ActBlue was also pulled down on Friday.

The bottom line: If those expulsion votes succeed, it could trigger a chain reaction, one of the Democrats leadership aides and a senior House Democrat told Axios.

That could involve members forcing expulsion votes against Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.), they said.

But these votes require a two-thirds majority to pass, and lawmakers have tended to stop short of expelling members in the absence of a criminal conviction or a completed House Ethics Committee process.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect Rep. Eric Swalwell responded to allegations against him in a video on Friday (not Saturday).

sexual assault and misconduct allegations

Reps. Swalwell and Gonzales set to face expulsion votes

Democrats will likely counter a GOP-led vote to oust Swalwell with a vote to unseat Gonzales.

Split image of two men in suits: left with light stubble and maroon striped tie, flag behind; right with dark hair, blue suit and red tie, blue sky behind.

Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales. Photos: Anna Moneymaker, Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

Direct negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, began in Islamabad on Saturday, according to a White House official. 

Why it matters: While the meeting itself is historic — the highest-level engagement between U.S. and Iranian officials since 1979 — the chances for success appear low. Both sides know the risk of failure is renewed war, but have clashing visions for peace.

Driving the news: "The U.S., Pakistan and Iran are holding a trilateral face to face meetings today in Islamabad," the White House official said. 

The U.S. delegation for the talks is headed by Vice President JD Vance and includes also White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. 

"A full suite of U.S. experts on relevant subject areas are present in Islamabad. Additional experts are supporting from Washington", the White House official said. 

The Iranian delegation is headed by Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar are also attending the talks.

Before the direct negotiations started Saturday, each of the delegations exchanged messages directly though separate meetings with Sharif.

What they are saying: Iranian media reported that the Iranian delegation agreed to hold the direct talks after the indirect talks made progress and after Iran received assurances that Israel would restrain its strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon. It is unclear if such a commitment was given by Israel.

The Iranian press also claimed the U.S. agreed to release frozen Iranian funds, but a U.S. official denied that.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated 

Direct U.S.-Iran negotiations underway in Pakistan

The odds of success appear low, but the risk of failure is renewed war.

Axios

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