President Trump said Monday Iran is “in very bad shape” ahead of the planned US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz which comes into force at 10 a.m. EDT.
“I would say it’s holding well. Their military is destroyed, their whole navy is underwater. One hundred fifty ships are gone, their navy is gone,” Trump told reporters outside of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland when asked how the cease-fire is holding with Iran.
“I think Iran is in very bad shape. I think they’re pretty desperate,” Trump said. “We had a meeting that lasted 21 hours. We understand the situation better than anybody, and Iran’s in very bad shape.
“I don’t care if they come back or not,” he added. “If they don’t come back, I’m fine.”
Trump vowed the blockade will be “very effective,” warning Iran will not be able to sell oil.
US Central Command announced that the halt to “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” would be enforced “impartially” against all nations, no matter the point of origin, after the Monday deadline.
“CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Trump told Fox News the UK and a “couple of other countries are sending minesweepers” to help clear the waterway, but London is not taking part in the blockade, Sky News reported.
“We continue to support freedom of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is urgently needed to support the global economy and the cost of living back home,” a UK government spokesperson said.
“The Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolling. We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation.”
Western nations are set to hold a meeting to discuss how to clear Strait, which around 20% of the world’s oil passes through daily, Bloomberg reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy on Sunday warned against Trump’s plans, insisting that military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be a violation of the fragile cease-fire and face a “strong and forceful response.”
Mohsen Rezaee, a senior adviser to the Ayatollah and former commander in chief of the IRGC, vowed such a blockade would fail.
“America, just as it suffered a historic defeat against Iran in failing to open the Strait of Hormuz, is also doomed to failure in its maritime blockade,” he wrote on X.
“Iran’s armed forces will not grant America such permission and possess major untapped levers for countering it.
“Iran is not a place to be blockaded with tweets and fanciful schemes!”
Shahram Irani, the regime’s navy commander, also ridiculed Trump’s threat of a blockade, describing it as “ridiculous and laughable,” according to a statement shared on state media.
Branding the US as the “aggressor,” he claimed Washington has suffered a “humiliating defeat” at the hands of Tehran.
In addition to the blockade, President Trump and his team are looking at whether to restart limited military strikes amid the failed peace talks, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A major bombing campaign hasn’t been taken off the table, but officials told the outlet it was less likely.
