Donald Trump is determined to maintain a blockade on Iran and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, betting that this pressure will compel Tehran to fully abandon its nuclear ambitions.

With U.S.-Iran relations at a standstill and no clear resolution in sight, Trump is contemplating his next course of action, weighing the options between resuming military strikes or continuing economic sanctions.

In a meeting with top advisors in the White House Situation Room on Monday, Trump expressed a preference for extending the blockade rather than escalating military action or disengaging from Iran altogether, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Officials have indicated that Trump views the economic blockade as the least risky strategy among those considered. They noted that the blockade has severely impacted Iran’s economy, particularly hindering its oil storage capabilities.

“The president will only accept an agreement that ensures the national security of the United States,” stated White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in an official statement.

‘The president will only accept a deal that protects the national security of our country,’ White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

She added that Operation Epic Fury has already met all of Trump’s military objectives and that ‘thanks to the successful blockade of Iranian ports, the United States has maximum leverage over the regime.’

Trump has stopped short of strikes since an April 7 ceasefire was reached, though gas prices remain high and Trump’s poll numbers remain on the wane.  

Donald Trump wants to continue his blockade of the Iran and the Strait of Hormuz in a bet that they can get Tehran to fully concede its nuclear program

The President believes the economic blockade represents the least risky of the options in front of him, officials said and that Iran’s offer that could reopen the waterway before discussing its nuclear program was in bad faith

However, peace talks shortly after the lull in fighting have yet to produce a teal and planned talks with Vice President JD Vance for this past weekend were canceled before they could even get started.

On Tuesday, Trump claimed that Iran wants to open the Strait of Hormuz ‘as soon as possible.’

In a post to Truth Social, the US president said Iranian officials told the US ‘that they are in a ‘State of Collapse’. 

‘They want us to ‘Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!)’, he added. 

Gas prices remain high after months of conflict as Americans prepare to go to the voting booths for the upcoming Midterm elections. 

A source close to the President told Axios that ‘a frozen conflict is the worst thing for Trump politically and economically.’

JD Vance, meanwhile, has begun raising questions over Pete Hegseth’s handling of the war by voicing concern with Trump that US stockpiles for missile systems are low, according to the Atlantic. 

Two senior administration officials told the outlet that the Vice President has been raising skepticism to Trump about the Pentagon’s information about the war. 

A woman holds a poster depicting Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during an anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli rally

Vehicles drive past a giant billboard reading ‘The Strait of Hormuz remains closed’ at the Revolution Square in Tehran

Vance ‘asks a lot of probing questions about our strategic planning,’ a White House official told the magazine. 

Despite Hegseth’s claim that Iran’s military has been obliterated, CBS News reports that US intelligence has found roughly half of the country’s ballistic missile stockpiles and launch systems remain operational since the ceasefire began three weeks ago.

Iran has also retained around 60 percent of its original naval forces, primarily the small speedboats it uses to seize oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Approximately two-thirds of Iran’s air force also remains usable against US forces, per the report. 

Crucial munitions supply that would be essential in fighting potential conflicts with Russia or China have been depleted by more than half. 

Hegseth was one of the few of Trump’s cabinet officials to privately urge him to overthrow the regime in March, while Vance remained a skeptic. 

Trump’s core demand is that Iran freeze its nuclear program for at least 20 years and surrender its entire stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran, however, wants control over the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of all US sanctions crippling its economy.

The divide between the two sides makes a deal extremely difficult to reach.