The lives of millions of people across the Middle East – and the fate of the global economy – will hinge on the outcome of make-or-break talks between the United States and Iran, which began this weekend in Pakistan.

The U.S. military's Central Command announced that the blockade would be enforced "against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas." It said that would include all of Iran's ports on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.