The Media Line: President Trump Announces Naval Blockade in Strait of Hormuz   

President Trump Announces Naval Blockade in Strait of Hormuz   

By The Media Line Staff  

US President Donald Trump on Truth Social announced a US naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and spoke to Maria Bartiromo of Fox News Sunday about stopping Iran’s nuclear program for good, America’s military accomplishments during the conflict, and his controversial post preceding the truce.    

On Truth Social earlier Sunday, he said the US Navy would begin blocking the movement of ships in the Strait of Hormuz “effective immediately.” He wrote, “I have instructed our Navy to search for and prohibit any vessel in international waters that has paid a fee to Iran. No one who pays an illegal fee will have safe passage on the high seas.”   

He added, “We will also begin destroying the mines that the Iranians have placed in the strait. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown out of the water.”   

The Strait of Hormuz has been a focus of the war with Iran, since 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through it, and disruption has been partly responsible for the steep rise in gas prices.    

When asked by Bartiromo about concerns over the ongoing war and oil and gas prices ahead of the midterm elections, Trump said the central issue remains Iran’s nuclear ambitions.   

He stated elsewhere in the interview, “We didn’t get there on the important issue. They want to have nuclear weapons. “They’re not going to have nuclear weapons. I’ve been saying that for 30 years. I would never allow that to happen before I was in politics. And that country will not have nuclear weapons. Most countries shouldn’t be allowed to have, but that country will not have nuclear weapons.”   

President Trump also highlighted US military strength. “So we have the greatest military equipment. We have the greatest people. We have the strongest military in the world by far, and everybody sees it, whether it’s Venezuela or what we’ve done with Iran.”   

He added: “And when I read, you know, the fake news talking about how well Iran’s doing, they’re not doing well at all. They’re getting killed. I could take out Iran in one day.”   

Addressing a social media post, prior to the announcement of a ceasefire, that read, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” President Trump said: “When I talk about a civilization, it really has changed, it really has. But think of it, they’re allowed to say, death to America, death to this, death to… And I make one statement, they say, oh, such a big deal.”   

He explained: “Let me tell you, that statement got them to the bargaining table, and they haven’t left. They haven’t left the bargaining table. I predict they come back and they give us everything we want.”   

And I told my people, I want everything. I don’t want 90 percent. I don’t want 95 percent.   

I told them, I want everything.”   

The comments follow stalled US-Iran talks in Islamabad, mediated by Pakistan, which ended after 21 hours without agreement.