President Donald Trump told Axios he will not lift a naval blockade of Iran\u2019s ports until he secures a deal with Tehran to address the country\u2019s nuclear program, extending a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz that has caused a global energy crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can\u2019t have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump said in a telephone interview Wednesday, according to Axios.<\/p>\n
Trump said he had rejected a recent proposal from Iran to reopen the strait because it would have delayed talks on the nuclear issue until later.<\/p>\n
The blockade lies at the heart of the impasse between the US and Iran, with the Islamic Republic insisting it won\u2019t restart negotiations or reopen the strait as long as the naval restrictions stay in place. Trump says he won\u2019t halt the operation until Iran agrees to a peace deal to end a war that, while now in a ceasefire, is in its ninth week, causing chaos across the Middle East and energy prices to surge.<\/p>\n
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While Trump said he\u2019d stick with the blockade, US military commanders have prepared a plan for a short and powerful wave of strikes on Iran to raise pressure on the regime, Axios said, citing people with knowledge of the preparations. Axios also reported that Trump is slated to receive a briefing on potential military plans on Thursday.<\/p>\n
US Central Command has asked to send the Army\u2019s Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran. If approved, it would mark the first time the US will have deployed its hypersonic missile.<\/p>\n
The administration is also looking at enlisting other countries to help restore safe passage through the strait, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday evening, citing a State Department cable.<\/p>\n
While US allies have refused to join the military campaign against Iran, the cable enjoins US embassies to persuade allies to join a coalition that would coordinate diplomacy, the enforcement of sanctions and sharing of information, according to the newspaper.<\/p>\n
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Trump also told Axios that Israel should limit its military actions in Lebanon to \u201csurgical\u201d strikes as the ceasefire there remains fragile.<\/p>\n
Brent crude prices climbed with the strait now effectively shut for two months and little sign of it opening soon. The global crude benchmark rose above $119.50 a barrel, a fresh high since the Iran war began. West Texas Intermediate was trading above $107 a barrel.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unclear how much storage and time Iran has left before it would need to close down wells, which may damage them permanently. Analytics firm Kpler estimates it has another 12 to 22 days.<\/p>\n
Iranian officials showed no sign of backing down.<\/p>\n
Mohsen Rezaee, military adviser to the Supreme Leader, vowed Iran will respond if the US continues its blockade, state television reported. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of seeking to force Tehran to surrender through economic pressure and internal divisions, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.<\/p>\n
Trump on Wednesday told reporters that talks are continuing \u201ctelephonically\u201d between the two sides after an abortive effort to meet in Pakistan over the weekend.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the US is seeking forfeiture of two Iran-linked oil tankers seized by naval forces enforcing a blockade against the Islamic Republic, according to a senior White House official.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s more on the war:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned the energy shock brought by the war \u201chasn\u2019t even peaked yet,\u201d saying at a regular press conference that \u201cthe conflict in the Middle East has added to\u201d economic \u201cuncertainty.\u201d<\/li>\n
- The US has spent an estimated $25 billion on the Iran war, the Pentagon\u2019s budget chief told lawmakers on Wednesday, in the administration\u2019s most complete public estimate of the conflict\u2019s cost so far.<\/li>\n
- Trump said he\u2019d discussed the war in a phone call with Vladimir Putin Wednesday but rebuffed the Russian president\u2019s offer to help secure Iran\u2019s nuclear material, saying that he told the Russian leader, \u201cI\u2019d much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the UN\u2019s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview that Iran\u2019s inventory of enriched uranium is \u201caccessible\u201d should the country wish to retrieve the material. He reiterated that the \u201cconsensus of the community\u201d is that the majority of Iran\u2019s uranium stockpile remains buried at Isfahan.<\/li>\n
- The Iranian rial has weakened significantly in the past two days, according to bonbast.com, a website that tracks the currency\u2019s value on the parallel market, suggesting rising strain on the country\u2019s economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#Trump #rejects #Irans #Hormuz #offer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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