US Threatens Indefinite Naval Blockade, More Economic Pressure on Iran

Ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Aug. 10, 2026. Ali Saeedi/Getty ImagesThe United States has threatened to keep its naval blockade of Iranian ports in place indefinitely while increasing economic pressure on the regime, as the standoff around the Strait of Hormuz continues.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Aug. 13 that the U.S. military could maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports for as long as needed by rotating ships through the region.“We can hold it as long as we need to. Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we‘ll rotate ships in and out, as we have and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters in Panama.“Iran knows it can’t get in and out on this blockade and they know that there’s no timeline on it either. We’ll hold it as long as we need to.”Hegseth said President Donald Trump has “all the options at his disposal” to ensure that Iran can no longer develop nuclear weapons.The naval blockade has put pressure on Iran’s economy by disrupting the nation’s maritime trade and crude oil exports.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Newsmax on Aug. 13 that the United States planned to pursue “economic isolation” of Iran.Bessent said the Treasury Department has been targeting the Iranian regime’s bank accounts, crypto wallets, and assets around the world after Trump ordered the department to apply maximum pressure on Iran.“We went from Epic Fury to Economic Fury. And at the president’s orders, we have raised the level even again,” he said in the interview.“And watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of the economic isolation of a country.”Bessent said the measures will combine increased economic pressure with continued naval restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz that prevent anything from entering and leaving Iran.Negotiations between the two nations to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz have faltered, with Iran threatening to continue restricting maritime traffic until the United States agrees to its conditions, including ending its naval blockade, withdrawing troops, and lifting sanctions on the regime.The Trump administration has said that Iran cannot impose controls on the strait, including fees or fines on vessels transiting the waterway.Trump said in a pre-taped interview with Real America’s Voice on Aug. 11 that there are multiple ways his administration could bring an end to the war: continue to negotiate with Iran while allowing Iran’s economy to struggle, carry out military strikes against Iran, or beat Iran economically.“Look how bad they’re doing, because they’ve got 300 percent inflation; they have no value,” Trump said. “Their currency has almost no value. They’re not paying their soldiers. Their soldiers are leaving.”The president said Iran’s economic situation was “not sustainable” following increased inflation and U.S. sanctions against the regime.On Aug. 12, a U.S. Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama-flagged vessel after it ignored warnings and attempted to breach the U.S. naval blockade by sailing toward an Iranian port. The strikes disabled the vessel’s steering gear, the U.S. Central Command said.Timothy Frudd contributed to this report.