Trump vows to maintain 'wall of steel' blockade on Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled on Wednesday that the United States would maintain its blockade of Iranian ports, which was reinstated on July 14.
“The USA has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I think we will keep it!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Our naval blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘a wall of steel,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it.”
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The president continued: “They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their ‘leadership’ is uncertain, at best! They have no money — Their country is ‘shot.’ All they have is fake news and 300% inflation, and getting worse! Iran is all talk and no action, the bully of the Middle East no longer. Praise be to Allah! President Donald J. Trump.”
American forces have redirected 59 commercial vessels as part of the renewed U.S. naval blockade against Iran, U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday, four more than the tally it published a day earlier.
Three vessels have been disabled and two boarded, according to the command.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he’s under no illusions as to the trustworthiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“I don’t trust Iran. Why—are you saying I trust Iran? I’m the last person to trust Iran. They’ve lied to me constantly,” the president said at the Joint Base Andrews air base in Maryland.
“We have total control over the Hormuz strait right now. They don’t have control. We have total control. We own it. And at some point maybe they’ll do something and then get blown away. But right now we’re in a very good position” vis-à-vis the regime, he continued.
Trump signaled on Sunday that he is prepared to let economic pressure on Iran build rather than order a renewed military offensive.
“We are low-keying it,” Trump said during a brief phone call with Axios reporter Barak Ravid, adding that Washington was “only semi-negotiating” while watching the Islamic Republic’s soaring inflation.
The regime “is in very bad shape” economically and cannot pay its troops due to the blockade, the president said.
Axios noted that Trump made no new military threats and voiced no frustration over Iran’s delay of an announcement on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He likened the standoff to a game of chess, saying, “It always works out.”
U.S. officials told Axios that Trump had been leaning toward resuming major combat operations a week ago but was persuaded to de-escalate.
When the regime is not at war, an official added, it is forced to confront a grim economic reality with no real solutions at hand.
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U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, July 19, that the United States would maintain its naval blockade on Iranian ports, which was reinstated on July 14. Trump stated on Truth Social, "The USA has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I think we will keep it!" and referred to the blockade as "a wall of steel." U.S. Central Command reported that 59 commercial vessels have been redirected to ensure compliance, with three disabled and two boarded. Trump expressed distrust in Iran, stating, "I don’t trust Iran. They’ve lied to me constantly." He indicated a preference for continued economic pressure over military action, noting Iran's severe economic state and inability to pay its troops. U.S. officials confirmed Trump had been persuaded to de-escalate from potential major combat operations a week prior.
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