US to extend port blockade as Trump urges Tehran to get smart

Speaking to Truth Social, Trump was blunt. Iran, he said, "couldn't get its act together." He has made no secret of his position — Tehran is welcome to pick up the phone if it wants to talk, but one thing is non-negotiable: Iran will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Blockade set for long haul

The Wall Street Journal, citing American officials, reported that Trump had already instructed his aides to begin planning a prolonged blockade of Iran's ports, with the explicit aim of forcing Tehran into submission. According to the same officials, Trump weighed his options carefully and concluded that keeping the economic vice tightened was the least risky path forward. They said that resuming air strikes or completely disengaging from the conflict carried risks he was unwilling to accept.

Iran refuses to buckle

Tehran, for its part, showed no signs of yielding. Iranian officials said on Tuesday that the country had found ways around the blockade via alternative trade routes and made clear that the Islamic Republic did not regard the war as finished. Iran's latest proposal to end the two-month conflict—frozen since an April 8 ceasefire—sought to set aside the nuclear question until after hostilities formally ceased and shipping lanes reopened. Trump categorically rejected the approach, asserting that the nuclear issue required addressing from the very beginning.

Any hopes of a quick breakthrough faded further after Trump abruptly called off a weekend trip to Pakistan by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who had been due to meet mediators in Islamabad.