No deal unless no nukes: Trump calls US naval blockade against Iran ‘genius’; CENTCOM says 42 ships turned back

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) described the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran as “genius”, asserting that Tehran would have to concede defeat while ruling out any agreement unless it abandons its nuclear ambitions.

“The blockade is genius. The blockade has been 100% foolproof. It shows how good our Navy is, I can tell you that. Nobody’s going to play games. We have the greatest military in the world and I built much of it during my first term and we’ve been building it since and the greatest anywhere in the world, nobody even close,” Trump said.

He further added, “Whether it’s Venezuela, they had a good military in Venezuela, but it was over in one day, it was actually over in about 48 minutes. Iran the same thing, I mean militarily we’ve wiped them out, they have no military left, their Navy’s at the bottom of the sea, the Air Force is never going to fly again.”

Highlighting economic pressure on Tehran, Trump said, “We’ve got an amazing military. Now, they have to cry uncle, that’s all they have to do, just say, ‘We give up. We give up.’ But their economy is really in trouble, so it’s a dead economy.”

On ongoing diplomatic efforts, he said, “I don’t know, it depends. We have talks, we’re having talks with them now and we’re not flying anymore with 18-hour flights every time we want to see a piece of paper. We’re doing it telephonically and it’s very nice. I make a call or I have my people make a call and you know the answer… I always like face-to-face, I consider it better.”

Trump stressed that any deal would hinge on nuclear concessions from Iran. “They’ve come a long way. The question is whether or not they’re going to go far enough. So at this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons,” he said.

Meanwhile, US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the blockade has significantly disrupted Iran’s oil trade. “Today, US forces achieved a significant milestone after successfully redirecting the 42nd commercial vessel attempting to violate the blockade. This is a reflection of the outstanding work America’s sons and daughters in uniform are doing to prevent maritime commerce from entering or exiting Iranian ports,” he said.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran has proposed a conditional ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz, offering to halt military operations if the US lifts the blockade and ends hostilities. The proposal, conveyed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, also outlines a phased de-escalation process mediated by regional actors.

The report noted that Washington is reviewing the offer, with officials acknowledging that Tehran appears willing to negotiate, though the US remains firm on preventing Iran from controlling the strategic waterway or advancing its nuclear programme. (ANI)