The U.S. seems ready to block Iran’s primary oil tradeway “indefinitely.”
Donald Trump dodged questions Thursday about a lack of progress at the Strait of Hormuz, instead claiming that “no ship” was passing the blockade that the U.S. had imposed on the waterway at the beginning of the week.
“How long can you sustain the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz?” asked a reporter.
“We’re doing very well with the blockade, it’s very routine for us, the Navy is incredible. And I think the blockade is doing very well. No ship is even thinking about entering, no ship is going past our Navy,” said Trump.
Q: “How long will you maintain the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz?”
Trump: “We’re doing very well with the blockade. It’s very routine for us…No ship is going past our Navy.” pic.twitter.com/TIk1NZOYtQ
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) April 16, 2026
But that’s not true. Data obtained by Reuters indicated that the president’s blockade hardly affected traffic on the waterway the first day it was imposed, and at least one U.S.-sanctioned Chinese tanker sailed right by.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told Fox News earlier in the week that America’s military could keep up the pressure campaign forever.
“This embargo is squeezing the economic life out of the Iranian regime. The United States has the capacity to continue this indefinitely if Iran chooses the wrong path,” Miller said Wednesday night, further claiming that Trump had made energy costs a priority ahead of the war in Iran.
Meanwhile, Americans and their wallets are hurting. Gas prices across the U.S. have surged beyond $4 a gallon. In five states—California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—gas has risen above an average of $5 a gallon. The soaring price has driven up the cost of practically everything else, as inflated transportation and shipping prices get offloaded to customers. Trump warned Tuesday that the cost of gas “could be the same or maybe a little bit higher” come midterm season.
As Trump’s two-week ceasefire in Iran comes to a close, it’s becoming less and less clear as to when exactly the war will end, and whether the U.S. has made any meaningful progress in its peace negotiations. Trump has repeated that the “war can be over very soon,” though talks to end it have so far fallen apart.