U.S. optimistic the blockade will force Iran to reopen Hormuz
by Vaughn Cockayne, Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesU.S. officials insisted Thursday the economic pressure from the Navy blockade of Iranian ports will force Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, relieving global economic pressure that has driven up energy prices over the past two months.
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, noted that Iran is buckling from its inability to ship oil and other vital goods because of the blockade, which the administration says has stopped any vessel from entering or exiting Iranian ports.
“We are extremely hopeful. If you look at the Iranian economy now, it’s extremely on the ropes. They are having hyperinflation. They are running out of food,” he told White House reporters. “The leadership of any country that cares at all about its citizens should make a deal.”
President Trump launched the naval blockade in April in response to Iran’s own Hormuz blockade, which it has largely kept in place since the war began in late February. Washington’s strategy is intended to put further pressure on Iran’s economy and force it into a better deal for the U.S.
The blockade is an extension of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, launched Feb. 28 and intended to prevent the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons and, according to U.S. officials, to degrade its military capabilities. U.S. officials also want to curtail Iran’s missile program and support for terrorist proxies in the Middle East.
Mr. Hassett’s comments echo statements made by Mr. Trump and his Cabinet officials, who have insisted the strategy is causing chaos in Iran. Earlier this week, the president claimed that the Iranians told him the country was “in a state of collapse.”
SEE ALSO: Republican senators eye vote on authorizing further military force in Iran
Mr. Trump has called the blockade “more effective than bombing.”
“Iran is dying to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office.
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“They are in very bad shape,” he said. “Their economy is crashing, the blockade is incredible.”
Mr. Trump was set to receive updated military options from Pentagon officials.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Iran war against heavy criticism in Congress, arguing that the Islamic republic is “completely incapable” of rebuilding its military. He reiterated that the U.S. would ensure that Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon.
The military strikes and blockade have not resulted in a deal. Mr. Trump rejected Iran’s latest offer this week. The pact reportedly would have lifted Iran’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a delay in negotiating the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
SEE ALSO: Trump, Iran trade insults over the Strait of Hormuz as peace talks stumble along
Mr. Trump abruptly canceled plans to send U.S. envoys to Islamabad for a potential second round of talks Saturday with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. It would have been the second round of negotiations after the two parties’ meeting in Islamabad in mid-April.
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Publicly, Iran has maintained a defiant posture this week, insisting that a U.S. strategy focused on aggressive coercion is destined to fail.
Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement Thursday, coinciding with his country’s National Persian Gulf Day, demanding the full removal of U.S. forces in the region.
“The presence of American forces in the Persian Gulf is the main source of insecurity,” Mr. Khamenei, who has not been heard from in person since he assumed office in March, wrote in a statement.
He added that Iran would retain control over the Strait of Hormuz to ensure regional stability. Other Iranian officials, including Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, have insisted that Iran should retain sovereignty over the strait after the war concludes.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian added to the chorus, insisting that America’s economic pressure strategy is “doomed” and suggesting it could violate the ceasefire agreement.
“What is being done under the guise of a naval blockade is an extension of military operations against a nation paying the price for its resistance and independence,” Mr. Pezeshkian wrote on X.
Still, the U.S. naval blockade has exacerbated what were already dramatic economic challenges for Iran before the war. Iran’s rial, which had a severe devaluation earlier this year, hit a record low this week of 1.8 million to $1.
The blockade has also battered Iran’s oil exports, one of its main sources of revenue before and during the war. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, announced Wednesday that the blockade has redirected 42 commercial vessels trying to enter or exit Iranian ports.
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U.S. forces have intercepted several vessels allegedly ferrying Iranian oil to Chinese ports, both near the Strait of Hormuz and in the broader Indo-Pacific region, according to the Pentagon.
Iran maintains it can outlast the U.S. under economic pressure.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has created chaos in international energy markets and driven up domestic gas prices. This week, gas prices in the U.S. hit a wartime high, averaging $4.23 a gallon on Wednesday. Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, traded as high as $126 a barrel Thursday before pulling back.
Mr. Trump said he is fine with FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s insistence that Iran “will be participating” in this summer’s World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
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“Let them play,” Mr. Trump said.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.