United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday signalled that Washington could reimpose a naval blockade on Iran and warned of further military action, marking another escalation in tensions between the two countries.
Speaking ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Trump said the United States was considering restoring a blockade targeting Iranian shipping following Tehran’s alleged attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
“We may put down the blockade. We may put it back, the blockade. And it’ll only be a blockade for Iran,” Trump said.
He clarified that the proposed measure would apply only to vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports and would not affect shipping linked to other countries.
“Anybody else can have whatever they want. Now, of course, they’ll drop some mines if they can, if they can do it. But it’s hard because we’re taking out those little boats,” Trump added, referring to the possibility of Iran attempting to mine the strategic waterway.
The proposed blockade would represent a further tightening of Washington’s pressure campaign after the United States reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports and carried out a series of strikes on Iranian targets.
Trump also suggested that additional military operations against Iran could be imminent.
“We hit them very hard last night and very probably hit them hard again tonight,” he said.
“They’ve been the bully of the Middle East, and they’re not the bully anymore,” the US President added.
Trump criticised Iran’s leadership, accusing it of repeatedly changing its position during negotiations and casting doubt on the prospects for diplomacy.
