President Donald Trump has warned Iran to keep away from U.S. vessels enforcing Monday's blockade of the nation's ports.
Trump acknowledged that Iran still has a number of fast attack vessels despite suffering huge losses to its navy under Operation Epic Fury.
"Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, 'fast attack ships,' because we did not consider them much of a threat," Trump wrote.
"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal," he added.
Qatar joined the U.S. in pressuring Iran to release its hold on shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassmin Al-Thani said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart on the issue, urging Tehran not to use the strait as a "bargaining chip."
"HE Sheikh Mohammed emphasized the need for all parties to respond positively to ongoing mediation efforts, calling for dialogue and peaceful means to address the root causes of the crisis and reach a sustainable agreement that prevents renewed escalation," the ministry said in a statement.
"He also underlined the importance of keeping maritime routes open and ensuring freedom of navigation, warning against using them as a bargaining chip," the statement continued.
"His Excellency further cautioned that any disruption to shipping lanes could have serious consequences for countries in the region, as well as for global energy and food supplies, with wider implications for international peace and security," it added.
The U.S. began enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz at 10 a.m. ET on Monday.
Trump ordered the blockade after peace talks with Tehran collapsed this weekend. A map of U.S. vessels in the region showed at least 17 ships deployed as of Monday morning.
US Central Command announced plans to enforce the blockade earlier Monday in a notice to seafarers.
"Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture," the note said.
Iran has condemned the blockade as "piracy" and vowed to respond with force, potentially ending the fragile ceasefire with the U.S.
{{#rendered}}Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned President Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV on Monday.
Pezeshkian made the comment on social media after Trump called Leo "terrible" on foreign policy, among other criticisms.
"His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah," Pezeshkian wrote.
Leo touched on the debate in comments to the press on Monday, saying he is "not afraid" of the Trump administration.
The pope said he did not want to get drawn into a debate, but he did offer back handed criticism of Trump, sarcastically referring to the name of Trump's "Truth Social" media platform.
“It’s ironic – the name of the site itself. Say no more," Leo said.
Peace negotiations with Iran fell apart after Tehran severely misjudged what kind of leverage the regime believed it held, a U.S. official told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
While Vice President JD Vance left Islamabad, Pakistan, without a deal between the U.S. and Iran, the official said Vance used the talks to measure the Iranians own assessment of their position in the negotiations.
Vance found that Tehran thought they held a strong hand going into negotiations, according to the official, who added that no deal can be achieved when one party deludes itself into believing they have leverage that, in reality, they do not have.
The U.S. official described the talks to Fox News Digital as starting out tough, though developing into a more friendly and productive dialogue over the duration of the 21-hour-long negotiations.
The high-stakes talks between the U.S. and Iran ended without a deal after Iranian officials refused to accept American terms, Vance said earlier Sunday during a press conference from the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan.
"So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We've made very clear what our red lines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on," Vance said at the time. "And we've made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms."
The U.S. official said that over the course of the discussions, the Washington delegation determined it was clear that the Iranians did not comprehend that the core of any peace deal hinges on Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Stephen Sorace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he supports President Donald Trump's order to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu says he spoke with Vice President JD Vance after peace talks collapsed in Pakistan on Sunday. He said the "explosion" in the talks came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran's refusal to open the strait during the ceasefire.
"Since Iran violated the rules, President Trump decided to place a naval blockade on them. We of course support this firm position, and we are coordinated with the United States all the time," Netanyahu said.
{{#rendered}}Oil prices surged past $100 on Monday as the market reacts to President Donald Trump's order to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
FOX Business' Taylor Riggs predicted that Americans may be in for some "pain at the pump" in the short term, but argued it is necessary to prevent a nuclear Iran.
Former U.S. CENTCOM Deputy Commander Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Harward told Fox News on Monday that the U.S. would benefit from targeting leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps after peace talks collapsed this weekend.
Harward stated that Iran's whole navy is "under water," and predicted that President Trump's blockade against the nation's ports will be effective and successful.
Pope Leo XIV fired back after President Donald Trump attacked him on social media, saying his calls for peace are rooted in the Gospel and should not be treated as a political argument with the White House.
"I have no fear of the Trump administration," the pope told reporters aboard the papal plane Monday en route to Algeria.
"The message of the church, my message, the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the Peacemakers. I do not look at my role as being political, a politician," he added.
Trump had criticized the pope's positions on Sunday in a scathing rebuke on Truth Social.
"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy," Trump began in a lengthy post.
"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church," he concluded.
The pope responded Monday, despite saying, "I will not enter into debate."
"The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone," he said, speaking in English, adding, "I don't think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing. I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems."
"Too many people are suffering in the world today," Leo added. "Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there's a better way."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Eric Mack.
{{#rendered}}Retired Navy SEAL Mike Sarraille joined Fox News to discuss how the U.S. Navy will enforce President Donald Trump's blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump addressed several pressing international conflicts after stepping off Air Force One in Maryland on Sunday, declaring that Iranian naval forces had been destroyed ahead of a planned energy blockade and expressing sharp disapproval of NATO for its perceived lack of support.
"Their military is destroyed," Trump said. "Their whole Navy is underwater. You know that 158 ships are gone. Their navy is gone. Most of their mine droppers are gone."
"At 10 tomorrow, we have a blockade going into effect," Trump added. "Other nations are working so that Iran will not be able to sell oil."
Trump further underscored the United States’ energy independence, asserting that international vessels are bypassing traditional routes in favor of purchasing American oil.
"There are many boats heading toward our country to fill up with oil and then go and take it," he said.
The president then expressed sharp disapproval of NATO countries, indicating that America's financial commitment to support the alliance, particularly against Russia, is going to be under "very serious examination."
"But I'm very disappointed in NATO," he said. "They weren't there for us. We pay trillions of dollars for NATO, and they weren't there for us."
While NATO countries are now stepping up to assist the U.S., Trump described the effort as too late.
"Now they want to come up, but there's no real threat anymore," he said.
"When you think of it, we're guarding against Russia," he added. "And I've long thought it was a little ridiculous, but we spent trillions of dollars doing it. And I think that's going to be under very serious examination."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Bonny Chu.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday an agreement with the United States was possible if Washington "abandons its totalitarianism and respects the rights of the Iranian nation."
"If the American government abandons its totalitarianism and respects the rights of the Iranian nation, ways to reach an agreement will certainly be found," he wrote on X.
He also praised Iran’s negotiating team, including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, saying, "God gives you strength."
Talks between the two sides broke down Saturday after hours of negotiations in Pakistan.
Iran and the United States remained divided on key issues, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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