Tipsheet

President Trump: Iran Is in a 'State of Collapse'

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  April 28, 2026 10:45 AM

President Trump said that Iran is in a “state of collapse” on Tuesday as the regime runs out of storage for its oil and continues to lose more than $400 million a day under the U.S. blockade of its ports and vessels.

"Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse,'" the president wrote on Truth Social. "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!). Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

It is unclear to what extent the country is "collapsing," although it likely points to economic collapse, as Iran has been prevented from exporting its most crucial product, oil.

Over the past week, the country has struggled to find places to store its excess crude, reluctant to shut in oil wells for fear of causing damage and permanently reducing production capacity. The regime has gone to great lengths to avoid doing so, reactivating a 30-year-old retired supertanker capable of storing two million barrels of oil, rebuilding derelict storage tanks, and even sending oil to China by rail to buy time.

It remains to be seen if negotiations will open.

This comes after previous negotiations were canceled over the weekend, as President Trump accused Iran of stalling despite the U.S. holding the upper hand.