Tipsheet

President Trump Just Put the Naval Blockade of Iran Back on the Table

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  July 08, 2026 12:15 PM

The naval blockade is back on the table, President Trump announced Wednesday, as the United States continues responding to blatant Iranian violations of the recent ceasefire agreement. 

The move would restore what Trump administration officials have described as one of the most powerful weapons available against Iran.

"We may put down the blockade," the president said at the NATO Summit in Turkey. "We may put it back, the blockade. And it'll only be a blockade for Iran. Anybody else can have whatever they want. Now, of course, they'll drop some mines if they can, you know if they can do it. But it's hard because we're taking out those little boats now with the same weapon we used to take out the drug lords and the boats coming in by sea."

The move would mark a significant escalation against Iran, which has already endured multiple U.S. strikes after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sought to flex its muscles in the Strait of Hormuz, attacking three commercial vessels attempting to transit the waterway along non-Iranian-designated routes. 

Late Tuesday, the United States responded by revoking Iran’s oil license, which had allowed Tehran to immediately resume selling oil upon the signing of the memorandum of understanding, a significant upfront concession granted to the Iranians. That revocation was followed by military strikes on more than 80 targets across Iran. As of Wednesday, President Trump has said those strikes will continue Wednesday night, announcing that he believes the ceasefire is effectively over. 

Kharg Island is also back on the table as a potential target, a critical facility that processes around 90 percent of Iran’s oil.