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U.S. Reinstates Naval Blockade on Iran
President Donald Trump has announced a full naval blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports, while claiming the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all other maritime traffic .
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated: “BY FAR, the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran—and that is because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of TOTAL DESTRUCTION” . He declared: “We will therefore have a FULL Blockade, but only on Ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything having to do with Iranian cargo” .
The president praised U.S. military leadership, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine, and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, claiming “oil is flowing like never before” .
Trump Replaces Fee Proposal with Gulf Investment Deals
Trump reversed his earlier proposal to charge a 20% transit fee on ships through the Strait, announcing instead that he would replace it with trade and investment deals with Gulf states .
“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” he wrote . He claimed the investments would bring “factories, plants, and equipment” to the U.S., creating “millions of high-paying American jobs” .
Threat to Strike ‘Pickaxe Mountain’
In an interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump threatened to target Iran’s heavily fortified “Pickaxe Mountain” nuclear facility near the damaged Natanz uranium enrichment site .
“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump said . He claimed: “Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably strike Pickaxe soon” .
Experts believe the site’s deeply buried tunnel systems, located approximately 2,000 feet underground, may be beyond the reach of even the most powerful U.S. bunker-buster bombs .
Iran Will Never Get Nuclear Weapons
Trump reiterated his long-standing position: “IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” . He also accused Iran of killing “hundreds of thousands of people, including 52,000 protestors,” declaring those days are “OVER” .
The escalating rhetoric follows days of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian targets and Iranian retaliation against U.S. assets in Gulf countries .
