Trump tells aides to prepare for extended blockade of Iran

President Trump has instructed his aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran, U.S. officials said. The directive signals a long-term U.S. strategy of sustained naval and economic isolation on the regime.

In recent meetings, including a Monday discussion in the Situation Room, Trump opted to continue squeezing Iran’s economy and oil exports by preventing shipping to and from its ports.

He assessed that maintaining the blockade carried less risk than resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict. Trump still demands Iran dismantle all nuclear work, a concession Tehran has long refused.

On Monday he told aides Iran’s three-step offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz proved the regime was not negotiating in good faith.

Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social that the blockade is pushing Iran toward a “State of Collapse.”

A senior U.S. official said the measure is already crushing Iran’s economy, with the regime straining to store unsold oil and sparking fresh outreach to Washington.

The decision marks a new phase of the war.

It prolongs a conflict that has driven up gas prices, hurt Trump’s poll numbers and darkened Republican midterm prospects. Transits through the Strait of Hormuz have hit their lowest level since fighting began.

Officials acknowledge the president, who seeks quick victories, now lacks a silver bullet. The blockade commits U.S. forces to a longer deployment with no guarantee of capitulation.