WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES – United States President Donald Trump said late Friday that he intends to maintain a blockade of Iranian ports if a peace deal is not finalized and the current ceasefire, which is set to expire on Wednesday, is not extended. Okay News reports that President Trump expressed this intention while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, stating that the blockade would persist even if the ceasefire expires. When asked if the ceasefire would be extended, the President said, “Maybe I won’t extend it, but the blockade is going to remain.”
Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, though Tehran threatened to close the waterway once again if the United States blockade continues. When questioned about the potential for a deal, President Trump said, “I think it’s going to happen.” He acknowledged that key differences remain between the demands from the United States and Iran following earlier unsuccessful talks in Pakistan.
President Trump told reporters there were “not going to be tolls” imposed by Iran on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Regarding the conflict, which began on February 28, the President maintained that Washington and Tehran would jointly transfer enriched uranium stored in Iran to the United States under the proposed plan. Iran’s Foreign Ministry previously stated that its uranium stockpile would not be transferred anywhere.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping was “very happy” about the reopening of the oil chokepoint. The President referred to a summit planned in Beijing in May, stating, “Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, Historic.”
