April 20, 2026 09:04 AM UTC

Schrödinger's Strait of Hormuz: Iran Ceasefire Sputters

• 0 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

AP reports that the Strait of Hormuz was open this weekend until it wasn’t, and peace talks between the Trump administration and the Iranian government in Pakistan either are or are not happening:

Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran two days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place.

Over the weekend, the U.S. attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that it said had tried to evade its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, and its Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told his Pakistani counterpart that American threats to Iranian ships and ports were “clear signs” of Washington’s disingenuousness ahead of the planned talks, Iran state media reported.

The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump is back to making threats against civilian infrastructure that could violate international law:

Trump said earlier Sunday that U.S. representatives are returning to Pakistan for negotiations to end the war with Iran, though it remains unclear whether Tehran had agreed to send representatives. “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

ABC News:

Trump said Iran had 48 hours to agree to a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz or make peace.

“If it happens, it happens. And if it doesn’t, we’re blowing up the whole country. We’re blowing up, as I said, it’s going to be bridge day and it’s going to be power plant day in the country of Iran.”

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that behind closed doors, Trump is on the daily verge of what the kids call “crashing out.”

“Trump screamed at aides for hours” after he was informed the fighter jet had been shot down and two airmen were missing, the outlet reported, citing a senior administration official. “Images of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis — one of the biggest international policy failures of a presidency in recent times — had been looming large in his mind,” WSJ reported…

“Aides kept the president out of the room as they got minute-by-minute updates because they believed his impatience wouldn’t be helpful,” the official told the newspaper.

That’s the roundup as of this Monday morning. As you can see, what you left on Friday believing, specifically that the ceasefire was holding and the crisis was abating, fell apart between then and this morning. Oil prices are once again up, stocks once again down, and whatever happens next…well, if we knew, we’d be on Polymarket getting rich! But if you’re a vulnerable Republican like Colorado’s Rep. Gabe Evans, already committed to supporting Trump’s misadventure to the bitter end, you’re riding an emotional roller coaster with every news cycle.

And the news today…is not good.