Vance says U.S. is prepared to enforce naval blockade if Iran talks collapse

Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks at the White House on April 30, 2026, warning that the United States was prepared to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian oil exports if nuclear negotiations collapsed. The statement was the most explicit public threat of military action in the Iran nuclear talks to date; legal authority for a unilateral presidential blockade without congressional authorization would depend on contested interpretations of IEEPA emergency powers and the president's Article II commander-in-chief authority.