US-Iran ceasefire: Trump warns Iran blockade could last months

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Gulf News

2026/04/30 - 02:53 501 مشاهدة

Trump warns Iran blockade could last months

President Donald Trump said that a US naval blockade against Iran could last months, leading oil prices Wednesday to spike to their highest in more than four years.

With diplomacy between Iran and the United States at a standstill after false starts, Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who warned him of "damaging consequences" if the United States and Israel resume their war on Iran.

Meeting oil executives, Trump contended that the blockade of Iranian ports - which Tehran has demanded must end before any deal - was more effective than bombing.

Trump, at the meeting that took place Tuesday, discussed his efforts "to alleviate global oil markets and steps we could take to continue the current blockade for months if needed and minimize impact on American consumers," a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

Soaring oil prices

Global crude prices soared following reports of a possible extended blockade, with Brent jumping above $119 a barrel to its highest level since 2022 and US benchmark WTI above $105.

Iran has sought to extract a price for being attacked by exerting control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which one-fifth of global oil typically transits.

Iran, World Cup loom over FIFA Congress

Football's power brokers meet in Vancouver on Thursday as FIFA convenes its 76th Congress, a high?stakes gathering less than two months before the biggest World Cup ever opens across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The Iran war, World Cup logistical headaches and the unresolved question of Russia's international ban are set to feature in discussions among roughly 1,600 delegates from more than 200 member associations.

Iran's absence is already threatening to overshadow the meeting.

Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto earlier this week, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver.

Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj - a former member of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - and two colleagues flew home after being "insulted" by Canadian immigration officers.

Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were "inadmissible."

Trump says US may reduce troop numbers in Germany

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany, amid a row with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war.

"The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Iran's Ghalibaf mocks Trump's blockade

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has mocked the US naval blockade. In his taunt, Ghalibaf mocked the Trump administration's oil strategy, noting that after three days, no Iranian oil wells had "exploded" from the predicted pressure buildup caused by blocked exports.

Iran blockade: 41 crude oil tankers redirected — US military

At least 41 crude oil tankers laden with 69 million barrels of crude oil from Iran — estimated at $6 billion in market value — had been redirected by the US military after the ships attempted to breach the naval blockade near the Hormuz Strait, according to the US Central Command.

Trump: US having talks with Iran — 'they’ve come a long way'

US President Donald Trump says ongoing talks with Iran have “come a long way,” but warned that no agreement will be reached unless Tehran formally renounces the development of nuclear weapons. Trump’s remarks underscore a high-stakes diplomatic and strategic standoff that has persisted even amid intermittent ceasefires and military pressure.

Iran war has cost estimated $25 billion so far, Pentagon official

The war against Iran has cost the United States $25 billion since it was launched in late February, a senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday.

"We're spending about $25 billion on Operation Epic Fury. Most of that is in munitions," acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told lawmakers, using the official name for US operation.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later told the same congressional hearing that the estimated figure was less than $25 billion at this point.

The Pentagon chief pushed back against questions about the war's cost, saying: "The question I would ask this committee is, what is it worth to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon?"

Iran's rial currency hits record low of 1.8 million to $1

Iran's national rial currency hit a record hit Wednesday of 1.8 million to $1 as a shaky ceasefire with the US and Israel still holds.

The rial had remained stable for weeks during the war, which began Feb. 28, in part because there was little trading or imports coming into the country.

The rial began to slide two days ago, hitting the record low Wednesday.

Experts warn the fall of the rial is likely to further fuel inflation in a country where many imported goods, from food and medicine to electronics and raw materials, are affected by the dollar rate.

The war is now in a ceasefire, but a U.S. blockade has continued to increase pressure on Iran's already-battered economy, cutting into a key source of government revenue and hard currency by stopping or intercepting oil shipments.