U.S. ready to maintain Iran blockade indefinitely as global oil supply shrinks
The United States can maintain its naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and intends to increase economic pressure on Tehran. The statements come as ceasefire talks have stalled and global oil supplies continue to decline.
According to Reuters, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. Navy has sufficient resources to sustain the operation over the long term. Washington can regularly rotate ships while maintaining its military presence in the region.
U.S. prepares new measures against Iran
“The United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that indefinitely because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have,” Hegseth told reporters during a trip to Panama.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced plans to intensify financial pressure on Tehran. He said new measures would be unveiled next week and are expected to significantly deepen the country’s economic isolation.
The U.S. temporarily lifted restrictions on Iranian ports and shipping for about a month in mid-June but later reimposed the blockade. It has restricted Tehran’s access to one of its main sources of foreign currency amid damage to energy infrastructure from military strikes.
Washington previously linked lifting the blockade to an agreement between Iran and Oman to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, negotiations have so far failed to produce a deal.
Iran, in turn, is using its control over the strait as leverage. Tehran says it will not reopen the route until its conditions are met, including the lifting of economic sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
Global oil supply could fall by 4%
Against this backdrop, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains near a three-month low.
Eight vessels passed through the waterway on Tuesday, compared with an average of around 12 over the previous 10 days. Before the war, 130–140 vessels used the route each day.
The situation is already affecting global energy supplies. The International Energy Agency expects global oil supply to fall by 4.3 million barrels per day in 2026, or around 4%. Just a month earlier, the agency had projected a decline of 3.7 million barrels per day.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of intensifying military strikes against Iran but has so far refrained from deploying ground troops. This week, he indicated that Washington could instead focus primarily on economic pressure.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer previously called for lawmakers to receive a briefing following reports of a covert operation to evacuate Trump from Turkey over an alleged Iranian assassination threat.
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