Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused President Trump of using the two-week ceasefire as cover to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz through a massive naval blockade.
“The ceasefire was exploited to impose this siege,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, calling it Trump’s “revenge of choice” against the global economy.
At the moment, over 10,000 U.S. military personnel are enforcing President Trump’s blockade. U.S. Central Command confirmed that more than a dozen warships, dozens of aircraft, and thousands of sailors, Marines, and airmen are executing the mission.
They have also seized several Iran-linked vessels. CENTCOM reported that six merchant ships attempting to exit Iranian ports were intercepted and forced to turn back during the first 24 hours of the blockade.
Iran has been effectively blocked from selling oil. President Trump told reporters that “other nations are working so that Iran will not be able to sell oil. And that will be very effective.”
Trump is using this blockade to suffocate the Islamic regime. The New York Times reported that the U.S. is trying to “choke off the country’s lifeblood, the oil that accounts for more than 50 percent of its exports and just about all of the government’s revenue.”
The two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran remains in effect, according to Trump. However, Iran has accused the U.S. of violating the truce by allowing Israel to continue bombing Lebanon.
