Trump vows to 'kill' Iranian warships that get near US blockade
By: RIDGET BROWN, LORIAN BELANGER, HRVOJE HRANJSKI, MIKE HARRISON, MICHAEL WARREN, LUENA RODRIGUEZ-FEO VILEIRA and DREW CALLISTER (AP News)
BREAKING NEWS
President Trump has ordered that the blockaded Strait of Hormuz be blockaded. Apparently the Strait wasn't closed sufficiently. Or maybe it was just branded wrong. President Trump also issued a stark warning that the Iranian navy that was sunk last week will be sunk again if it interferes. President Trump is speaking with imaginary Iranians desperate to appease the GOAT. And since Trump can't whip the Ayatollah, he's now attacking the Pope.
Meanwhile Benjamin Netanyahu's need to kill something has been frustrated so he's lashing out again.
Situation normal, nothing to see here, these aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
April 13, 2026, 12:33 PM CDT
Major developments we're following:
- The U.S. military announced it will begin a blockade of all Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, tempering U.S. President Donald Trump's earlier vow to entirely block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as early reports indicated that ships had stopped crossing the waterway. It wasn't clear whether the blockade had started by the designated time of 10 a.m. EDT.
- The move sets the stage for a showdown as Iran responded with threats on ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Shortly after the blockade was set to begin, Trump warned on social media that Iranian warships that come "anywhere close" to the U.S. blockade will be destroyed by a "quick and brutal" strike.
- The Israeli military, meanwhile, is pushing ahead with its air and ground offensive in southern Lebanon, engaging in fierce fighting with Hezbollah militants over a strategic town, while the group fires rockets and drones at northern Israel.
- U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on Trump's broadside against him over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican's appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn't fear the Trump administration.
- Ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran ended in the early hours of Sunday without an agreement, raising questions about what happens when the current two-week truce expires on April 22. As the talks wrapped up in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, both sides blamed each other for the failure.
Iran war has some US water utilities facing a fluoride shortage
DEVI SHASTRI (AP News)
It's not just gas prices: Some U.S. water utilities are reporting that the war is disrupting their ability to maintain recommended fluoride levels in the drinking water.
The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies says it expects additional shortages as the war stresses the supply chain. Israel is a major supplier of the chemical used to fluoridate drinking water.
The number of water utilities affected so far is small, but the shortage is affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
Dentists say a short-term drop in fluoride levels should be fine for most people, but longer-term disruptions could put Americans, especially young children, at higher risk for tooth decay.
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Trump says 'we've been called by the other side' but offers no details on conversation
COLLIN BINKLEY (AP News)
President Donald Trump speaks outside the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Speaking outside the Oval Office on Monday, Trump suggested the U.S. is still willing to engage with Iran to negotiate a resolution.
"I can tell you that we've been called by the other side," Trump said, adding, "We've been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal."
Trump did not say who called or what was discussed.
Trump confirms that Strait of Hormuz blockade started at 10 a.m. EDT
AAMER MADHANI (AP News)
"We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that's what they're doing," Trump said of Iran.
Trump repeated his argument that safeguarding the strait is of greater concern to other parts of the globe than to the United States. The effective closure of the strait since the start of the war, however, has impacted global oil prices, leading to surging gas prices for American motorists and rising inflation on other goods.
"We don't use this strait," Trump said. "We have our own oil and gas, much more than we need."
Trump says he won't apologize to Pope Leo over Iran war criticisms
WILL WEISSERT (AP News)
Trump is refusing to apologize for sharply criticizing Pope Leo, saying that the pontiff "went public" in his criticisms of the war in Iran, and "I'm just responding."
In comments to reporters outside the Oval Office, Trump added, "There's nothing to apologize for" and said of Leo, "He's wrong."
President Donald Trump speaks outside the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump was also asked about posting an image of himself as a saint-like healer, which seemed to draw comparisons between himself and Jesus Christ.
The image was posted Sunday night and drew widespread condemnation from Evangelical Christian leaders and has since been taken down.
Trump said, "I did post it." But he suggested it had something to do with the Red Cross and insisted: "It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better."
Finland's president says Iran 'holds a lot of cards' with control of Strait of Hormuz
MATTHEW LEE (AP News)
The president of NATO ally Finland says that Iran has the upper hand in the war with Israel and the United States because it controls the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane though which a vast amount of the world's oil supply transits.
Alexander Stubb said at an event at the Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank that control of the strait has become a "de facto nuclear weapon" for Iran, implicitly suggesting that the Trump administration had created the scenario by starting "a war of choice."
"Iran holds a lot of the cards right now," he said. "I'm afraid that that is the reality."
OPEC oil production tumbled before US threatened blockade
CHARLES SHEEHAN (AP News)
The closure of the strait severely crimped output from OPEC last month. The 12-nation oil cartel, with members in the Middle East, Africa and Venezuela, said Monday that production tumbled by 7.89 million barrels a day in March, to 20.79 million barrels.
"Disruptions to shipping operations in the region raised persistent concerns about regional supply flows, while strong buying of prompt spot market barrels, production cuts, and declarations of force majeure further supported the upward price momentum," OPEC said.
The organization said demand appears to be steady this year, but cut its forecast for the current quarter, citing the war.
Netanyahu spokeswoman rules out a ceasefire with Hezbollah
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP News)
Shosh Bedrosian told reporters Monday that Israel's upcoming talks with Lebanon will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the two countries.
"We will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which continues to carry out indiscriminate attacks against Israel and our civilians," she said.
Israel and the Lebanese army have both been unable to forcibly disarm Hezbollah.
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I'm not crazy but I'm sure as hell lost. Anybody know the way to Cucamonga?
Visit Rancho Cucamonga | City of Rancho Cucamonga
I've been to Rancho Cucamonga a few times over the years for work, and I've driven by it on the I-210 many times. It's pretty nice, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. A small city.
You take the I-210 about 37 miles east of downtown L.A.