President Donald Trump posted a blunt warning to Iran on Tuesday night: the United States will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the only alternative to a negotiated deal is devastating military force, against "the rest of their Country, their leaders included." The posts, published on Truth Social hours after Trump announced an indefinite extension of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, laid out in plain terms the pressure campaign the administration is waging against a regime it views as fractured, financially desperate, and unable to produce a coherent negotiating partner.
The language was sharp, even by Trump's standards. But the substance behind it, a naval blockade choking Iran's oil revenue, a ceasefire extended only because Tehran cannot get its own house in order, and a diplomatic channel that remains open but idle, tells a story of leverage, not bluster.
As the Daily Mail reported, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran "doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!)." He said Iranian officials "only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to 'save face.'"
The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was set to expire on Wednesday. Trump extended it indefinitely, but on his terms. He directed the military to continue the blockade and "remain ready and able," writing that the ceasefire would hold only "until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other."
The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply. The U.S. blockade, imposed after Tehran refused to suspend its nuclear program, has squeezed Iran's revenue stream. In recent days, U.S. forces have begun boarding and seizing tankers destined for Iranian ports, a significant escalation of enforcement.
The first use of force under the blockade marked a turning point in the standoff, and the pace of enforcement has only increased since.
Trump claimed the pressure is working. Just before midnight on Tuesday, he posted that "Iran is collapsing financially!" and that Iran's "military and police [are] complaining that they are not getting paid." He added: "They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately, Starving for cash."
The White House had planned to send Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan to negotiate directly with Iranian officials. That trip was put on hold. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected in Washington on Tuesday afternoon for consultations on how to proceed.
The reason for the pause, according to U.S. officials, is Iran itself. Newsmax reported that a planned second round of talks in Islamabad was scrapped after Iranian officials failed to confirm their participation. A U.S. official described the problem plainly:
"We saw that there is an absolute fracture inside Iran between the negotiators and the military, with neither side having access to the supreme leader, who is not responsive."
That internal dysfunction has been building for some time. The Revolutionary Guard's tightening grip on Tehran has sidelined civilian negotiators and left Iran without a single authority capable of agreeing to terms.
Trump referenced this directly. He said the ceasefire extension was "based on the fact that the government of Iran is seriously fractured" and would remain in effect "until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran's state TV there had been "no final decision" on whether to agree to more talks, citing "unacceptable actions" by the United States. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said ending the blockade remains a condition for Iran to rejoin peace talks, adding, "I think the next round of the negotiations will take place", but only when that condition is met.
Despite the stalemate, the door has not closed entirely. Trump told the New York Post that a new round of talks was "possible," writing simply: "It's possible! President DJT." The Post reported that Pakistani sources said mediation efforts with Tehran were making progress and that renewed negotiations could begin within 36 to 72 hours.
But those talks remain conditional. U.S. and Pakistani sources said negotiations are paused because Iran's leadership has not yet formed one coherent negotiating position. A strategic affairs analyst cited by the Post put it directly: "Any peace talks at this point will be effectively conditional upon Iran providing a unified response."
The earlier rounds of diplomacy had shown promise. Trump had previously declared that Iran "agreed to everything" in a nuclear deal framework, but those terms evidently did not hold. The collapse of that agreement set the stage for the current standoff.
An unnamed U.S. official who spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity said Trump could change his mind on negotiating at any time. The official declined to predict what would happen but said Trump has options short of restarting airstrikes. AP reported that Trump had warned "lots of bombs" would "start going off" if no agreement materialized before the Wednesday deadline, a deadline he then extended.
The president also used his Tuesday night posts to settle a score with the Wall Street Journal's editorial board. Columnist Elliot Kaufman had published an op-ed headlined "The Iranians Take Trump for a Sucker." Trump did not take it well.
He called Kaufman an "IDIOT" and unloaded a detailed accounting of what U.S. military force had already accomplished against Iran: "their entire Navy is at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is gone... their Nuclear Labs and Storage Areas were OBLITERATED." He noted the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani, whom he described as an "evil genius who destroyed the lives of so many with his favored roadside bombs."
Trump argued that for 47 years, Iran "killed our people, and many others, and taken advantage of every President, except me." He said the country "is an Economic Catastrophe, that is hanging by a thread." He also took a shot at former President Barack Obama over his nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
He then turned the fire on Rupert Murdoch, the Journal's owner: "I guess Rupert Murdoch told him to write it this way because The Wall Street Journal has lost its way, no longer required reading, just another failing political 'RAG!'"
The broader context for these negotiations stretches back months. The administration had at one point been weighing a nuclear deal that would have allowed Iran to resume enrichment after a decade-long pause, a framework that now appears to have been overtaken by events on the ground and in the water.
The picture that emerges is one of deliberate, sustained pressure. The blockade remains in force. The ceasefire holds, but only because Trump chose to extend it, not because Iran met any conditions. U.S. forces continue seizing tankers. Iran's revenue hemorrhages at what Trump claims is half a billion dollars a day.
Iran insists the blockade must end before talks resume. The U.S. insists Iran must produce a unified proposal first. Pakistan is trying to bridge the gap. And Trump has made clear he is willing to wait, or to escalate.
The president's language about destroying "the rest of" Iran and "their leaders included" will draw predictable hand-wringing. But the underlying policy is straightforward: maximum economic pressure, military readiness, and a standing offer to negotiate, if Tehran can find someone authorized to say yes.
For decades, American presidents offered Iran carrots and got nothing but contempt in return. This president is offering a choice: come to the table with a real proposal, or live with the consequences. That is not being taken for a sucker. That is leverage.
