Trump Vows to Maintain Iran Blockade; Tehran Warns of 'Unprecedented' Response

U.S. President Donald Trump declared that America will maintain its naval blockade of Iran until a nuclear agreement is reached with Tehran. Speaking to Axios on Wednesday, Trump said he does not want to lift the blockade on Iranian ports, appearing to reject reopening the Strait of Hormuz to facilitate U.S.-Iran negotiations.

“The blockade is somewhat more effective than bombing. They are gasping like a stuffed pig,” Trump said of Iran. “And it will get worse for them. They cannot have nuclear weapons.”

Iran has made the lifting of the blockade a precondition for returning to talks. According to multiple media reports, Tehran proposed a limited deal this week: ending the Hormuz closure in exchange for lifting the port blockade. However, Trump’s comments suggest he has rejected the proposal.

At least two commercial vessels linked to Iran have been seized by the U.S. as part of the blockade. The U.S. military said Monday it had diverted 39 other ships in regional waters in recent weeks. Iran has responded by also detaining vessels it accuses of violating maritime regulations.

The standoff has sent oil prices surging, fueling energy inflation in the United States, where a gallon of gasoline now exceeds $4.22 (about $1.11 per liter), up from under $3 (about $0.79 per liter) before the war. International benchmark Brent crude futures soared above $119 a barrel on Wednesday as Washington and Tehran escalated tensions.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday that the U.S. is trying to “activate economic pressure and internal division” in Iran “to weaken or even collapse it from within.” He vowed that Iranians “will defeat this deceptive plan of the enemy” and “achieve a glorious victory” in the conflict.

An unnamed senior security source told Iran’s Press TV that the blockade will soon face “practical and unprecedented” action. Later Wednesday, Trump reiterated claims that the U.S. has severely degraded Iran’s military capabilities. “They have very little left. They have some missiles, a small fraction,” he said.

Beyond the mutual blockades in the Gulf, the U.S. and Iran appear deadlocked over the nuclear issue. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons but insists on its right to enrich uranium domestically. Meanwhile, Trump wants Iran’s nuclear program completely dismantled. Iran also rules out restricting missile and drone production or ending support for regional allies like Hezbollah and Hamas—two key demands of Israel and the U.S.

After a ceasefire reached earlier this month, U.S. and Iranian officials held a round of talks in Pakistan, but negotiations failed to break the impasse. On Wednesday, Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St. Petersburg two days earlier. Following the call, the Kremlin said Russia had made “a number of proposals aimed at resolving disagreements surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.”

For its part, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Araghchi met with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric and condemned U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian civilian sites, including schools, cultural sites, and hospitals. “The minister reiterated the responsibility of the international community and relevant bodies to take a clear and firm stand condemning these war crimes, and to hold accountable and punish those responsible,” the Ministry said.