JERUSALEM, Israel – President Trump is escalating pressure on Iran with unprecedented economic isolation, as the U.S. Navy works overnight to keep oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
The president indicated that negotiations with Iran are off the table, as his administration launches what he believes is the most crushing operation ever imposed on a country.
On Truth Social, Trump posted, “No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a deal,” and he said that Iran failed to take it.
Now, he’s calling for economic warfare, warning that any country doing business with Iran will face tremendous economic consequences.
He repeated his pledge that Iran will never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.
“Look, it’s very simple,” he stated. “They have to get rid of completely – they have to get rid – no nuclear weapons. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. You know why? Cause they’d use it.”
CNN reports that Trump ordered American negotiators to halt talks with Tehran indefinitely, despite members of his negotiating team recently describing discussions with Iran as positive and robust.
Meanwhile, the White House insists that the United States has control of the Strait of Hormuz, and significant amounts of oil are again moving out of the Gulf.
“The Strait – last night, we had a lot of boats come through,” Trump reported. “We have possession, complete control of the Strait…it’s not going to be perfect, but it’s a lot of oil coming out.”
Axios reports that the U.S. military has established a shipping corridor through the Strait and is moving about ten million barrels of oil each day, with 15 to 20 tankers reportedly passing through nightly along the coast of Oman.
In Israel, attention is turning north.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel struck Syria’s Abu Duhur Military Airbase after warnings against a Turkish military buildup there went unheeded.
“We will not tolerate a Turkish military entrenchment that advances southward, because it threatens us,” Netanyahu declared.
He believes Turkey intends to gain a foothold in Syria near Israel’s border. When warnings to Syria and Turkey went unheeded, he authorized a military strike and delivered another, much simpler warning: “Don’t.”
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reinforced Israel’s red line while touring the Syrian front, saying Israel would not “allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders.”
“We see what is happening and are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front,” he added, explaining that Israel must prevent any significant military threat from forming along its borders.
