Trump’s pressure – More than a month after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran and began pushing for a peace deal, the emerging contours this week suggest his pressure campaign hasn’t shifted Iran’s nuclear stance decisively. The deal could reopen the Strait o
By May, the aim was straightforward: stop the war, get ships moving again through the Strait of Hormuz, and use the opening to bring Iran closer to accepting President Donald Trump’s terms for a peace deal.
Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in April. and from there he tried to steer the negotiations with a mix of threats and limited military operations. More than a month later. the picture that’s emerging this week is that the pressure campaign has not appeared to have decisively shifted Iran’s stance on its nuclear program.
The prospective deal carries one immediate. high-stakes consequence: it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz. a critical waterway for oil and gas. Iran has blockaded the strait since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began the war in late February. Even so, reopening the channel may not settle the hardest disputes right away. The emerging terms could delay big decisions on other thorny issues until later.
The Strait of Hormuz was already supposed to be open at this point. Free passage through the strait had been Trump’s condition for pausing the war in April. U.S. officials had pinned hopes on a simple chain of effects: if ships moved freely again. surging gas prices would fall. domestic anger over the conflict would ease. and Iran would have less leverage at the bargaining table.
But Iranian forces have maintained their grip on the strait, and whatever the United States tried has not loosened it.
On April 13, the U.S. military began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, which is still in force. At the same time, U.S. troops redirected at least 100 ships as part of the cordon on Iran’s cities, the military said this week.
The administration also rolled out a more targeted effort after the blockade began. Trump announced what he called “Project Freedom” the following month, saying U.S. forces would protect ships trapped by Iran’s months-long blockade so they could exit the strait safely. Two vessels managed to get out under the initiative. Then, just a day after Trump announced it, he suspended the effort. Calls by the Trump administration for European allies to help police the strait went nowhere.
Trump continued to threaten Iran with further attacks but did not follow through. and the war itself remained deeply unpopular among the American public. including among Republicans. It has driven up the prices of oil and gas and squeezed Washington’s Arab allies. which have borne the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory attacks.
As one of Trump’s deadlines for Iran to accept U.S. terms appeared set to expire in late April. he extended the ceasefire until “discussions are concluded. one way or the other.” Even as negotiations continued. he kept up the pressure in public. mostly through posts on Truth Social that ranged from memes to statements saying “the Clock is Ticking” for Iran.
Last week, Trump said he was delaying another previously unannounced military offensive against Iran after requests from Gulf Arab leaders, given that “serious negotiations” were taking place.
On Iran’s side, analysts describe a leadership that feels more emboldened after surviving the attempt to topple the Islamic Republic. Experts say Iran’s leadership views time as on its side, in part because it has been able to rattle global energy prices through its control of the strait.
The sequence of pressure and partial moves has left the core disagreement intact. The looming deal may hinge on reopening the Strait of Hormuz—something Trump had demanded early on—but Iran’s leverage over access to the region’s energy flow has remained a constant. With the U.S. naval blockade still in place and the “Project Freedom” effort halted after only two vessels escaped. the negotiations have arrived at a point where one major objective could be met while other critical questions—especially those tied to Iran’s nuclear program—may not be settled yet.
Donald Trump Iran ceasefire Strait of Hormuz nuclear program Project Freedom Truth Social naval blockade oil prices Gulf Arab leaders
So basically Trump said “ceasefire” and Iran was like nah?
I don’t get how “pressure” didn’t work when they keep talking about threats and stuff. If the strait was supposed to open already, what was the point of April? Gas prices are still gonna be wild.
Wait, so the US “blockade of Iranian ports” is what’s stopping the Strait of Hormuz? Or is Iran blocking it themselves? The article makes it sound both ways. Either way, it’s like they’re hoping shipping fixes politics, but it never does.
Every time they say deal terms, I feel like Iran’s getting away with stuff. Like they can just keep the strait closed and then negotiate later? Also how can “the strait was already supposed to be open” if the blockade started after Trump’s ceasefire announcement… this whole timeline is confusing.