WASHINGTON (April 13, 2026) – Although the United States and Iran agreed to a two week ceasefire, both nations failed to reach an agreement due to U.S. demands. These demands include Iran ending all uranium enrichment, allowing the U.S. to retrieve its highly enriched uranium and the dismantling of all major nuclear enrichment facilities.
On Sunday President Trump announced a naval blockade on Iran. The blockade will prohibit any ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, which prevents any vessels paying Iranian transit tolls. Trump also noted that the price of oil and gas may continue to increase in the U.S.
For further analysis on these developments, please consider Sina Azodi, the Director of the Middle East Studies (MES) and Assistant Professor of Middle East Politics, at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. Azodi is an expert in international relations of the Middle East, Iranian Foreign Policy, U.S.-Iranian Relations, Nuclear non-proliferation, Iran’s nuclear program and Iranian politics. Azodi can discuss the threats of rising tensions between Iran and Israel.
To schedule an interview, please contact Nadia Payne at nadia [dot] payne
gwu [dot] edu (nadia[dot]payne[at]gwu[dot]edu) or GW media at gwmediagwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-