The U.S. is preparing a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
The United States may announce new measures against Iran next week that are expected to take Tehran’s economic isolation to an unprecedented level. Washington also plans to combine financial pressure with a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Bessent, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to move to a new phase of economic pressure on Iran.
“And stay tuned for updates next week, because we are going to implement measures that have never before been seen in the history of a country’s economic isolation,” the U.S. minister stated.
He explained that the new measures will be a continuation of the campaign Washington launched back in 2025, when Donald Trump ordered the resumption of the “maximum pressure” policy against the Iranian regime.
Following the U.S. military operation against Iran known as “Epic Fury,” the U.S., according to Bessent, shifted to intensifying economic pressure.
“We’ve moved from ‘Epic Fury’ to economic fury. And on the president’s orders, we’ve ramped it up even further,” Bessent noted.
Washington’s new strategy may involve more than just financial sanctions. The plan is to combine Iran’s economic isolation with a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
“It will be a combination of economic isolation and a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—something the world has never seen before. It will also prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports,” Bessent explained.
In this way, Washington hopes to simultaneously increase financial pressure on Tehran and restrict shipping to and from Iranian ports.
Earlier, Donald Trump made it clear that he was prepared to intensify economic pressure on Iran rather than launch a new military operation.
According to Axios, just a week ago, the U.S. president was close to deciding to resume full-scale military operations against Iran. However, during his latest interview, Trump did not issue any new military threats against Tehran.
The U.S. president also did not publicly express dissatisfaction with Iran’s delay in announcing an agreement with Oman regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Thus, Washington is currently focusing on imposing maximum economic and transportation restrictions on Iran, while not ruling out further escalation of pressure on Tehran.
This was stated by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The U.S. has sufficient military resources to maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth stated that American ships can continuously rotate in the region, so Washington is capable of maintaining pressure on Tehran for as long as necessary.
Currently, the United States and Iran remain at odds over ending the war in the Middle East. A high-ranking Iranian source reported that there has been no progress in negotiations to restore the interim agreement signed in June.
