US Says It Can Blockade Iran Indefinitely as Talks Stall
The United States said its naval blockade of Iran could be sustained indefinitely and promised further economic pressure, as talks brokered by Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz stalled. President Trump repeated his threat to bring the strait under American control and told motorists to accept higher petrol prices. Iran remained defiant, and state media said Tehran had placed a bounty on American soldiers — a claim that could not be verified.
A week that began with tanker attacks has ended in stalemate: the strait stays shut, the blockade tightens, and the diplomacy that briefly flickered through Muscat has gone quiet. Washington’s declaration that it can sustain the pressure indefinitely is aimed at convincing Tehran that time is not on its side, while Iran’s bellicose claims serve its own domestic audience. Around the edges the risks multiply — an oil spill spreading off Oman, a fresh American carrier rotating into the region, and a fifth of the world’s oil still locked behind the standoff. Markets reopen tomorrow after oil’s strongest week in months. Watch whether the Oman channel revives or the war of attrition hardens further.