WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump reportedly ordered his aides to prepare plans for sweeping and prolonged blockade of Iran to press Tehran as tensions surge over its nuclear ambitions.
The strategy under consideration would aggressively target Iran’s economic lifeline, especially its oil exports, by restricting shipping to and from Iranian ports. The move is designed to choke off regime revenue in what Trump sees as a high-risk but potentially decisive effort to force Iran into nuclear concessions it has long resisted.
Trump shared new directives at Situation Room meeting as he weighed options and chose to escalate economic pressure rather than pursue alternatives. Officials said he judged that restarting bombing operations or stepping back from the confrontation altogether both carried greater risks than maintaining a sustained blockade.
The situation follows an earlier sharp military escalation, a joint US–Israel offensive against Iran on February 28. In response, Tehran launched retaliatory strikes targeting what it described as U.S. interests across the region, with several attacks impacting Gulf states.
A fragile ceasefire was eventually reached on April 8, with mediation efforts led by Pakistan. This was followed by negotiations in Islamabad on April 11–12, but those talks collapsed without any agreement. Trump later stated that the ceasefire had been extended at Pakistan’s request, allowing time for a new proposal from Tehran to emerge.
As diplomatic breakthrough appears uncertain, Trump signaled skepticism toward Iran’s latest offer, which included reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz while postponing detailed negotiations on its nuclear program to a later stage.
Iran links Hormuz reopening to phased Nuclear Talks in new Proposal to US
