The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, agreed on Friday that the Strait would remain open but only through a route approved by Iran. However, he quickly faced backlash for his comments because he failed to address the U.S. blockade in his tweet. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ships was still in effect, highlighting the chaos within their leadership.
The other main negotiator, Mohammad Ghalibaf, likely influenced by the reaction to Araghchi’s statement, retracted the agreement and asserted that the Strait would remain closed until the blockade was lifted. Subsequently, they upped the ante on their stupidity by firing on some ships on Saturday.
Bad move.
Despite their attempts to assert themselves, they now find themselves in a precarious position where their arrogance will come with a price. The ongoing U.S. blockade of any vessels coming to or going from Iranian ports has already put significant pressure on them, but things are about to get worse:
The U.S. military is preparing in coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, according to U.S. officials, expanding its naval crackdown beyond the Middle East.
Adding an element of “Oh, shizzit” to the situation, the report suggested that the boardings could take place anywhere, not just near Iran or the Gulf of Oman.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force General Dan Caine hinted at this earlier in the week when he stated that they would pursue Iranian ships in international waters, as well as any vessels attempting to provide material support to Iran. They are primarily focused on sanctioned vessels and those associated with the “dark fleet,” which are trying to evade legal restrictions.
Gen. Dan Caine said the U.S. is expanding its blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline to directly target so-called “dark fleet” vessels—sanctioned, covert tankers used to evade restrictions and move Iranian oil. pic.twitter.com/WIJVBAyv0p
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) April 16, 2026
The economic pressure is already significant, and it is likely to increase further, pushing them to make nuclear concessions. As it stands, they are running out of time to reach an agreement since the ceasefire will end on Wednesday. They must either compromise or face renewed bombing and the resulting negative economic impact.
This situation may prompt China to exert pressure on Iran to come to a deal, especially since some of these ships are likely intended for them. China is concerned about having their supply chains further disrupted.
In addition to the daily losses amounting to millions of dollars due to the blockade, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also intensifying efforts against them through Operation “Economic Fury.” This operation involves freezing accounts in neighboring countries. Interestingly, those neighbors seem more willing to be transparent about the Iranian regime’s accounts now that Iran has begun bombing them. It’s curious how circumstances change like that. This situation is yet another example of Iran’s continual miscalculations.
A sane regime would have already made a deal to stop the carnage but this is Iran and it hasn’t been ruled by sanity for decades. So…bombs away, I suppose.
