President Trump is weighing fresh military action against Iran after peace talks in Pakistan collapsed, with a U.S. naval blockade targeting traffic tied to Iranian ports set to begin Monday morning, according to reports and official statements.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is considering limited strikes, while a broader bombing campaign against Iranian infrastructure was also discussed but seen as less likely.
Trump made clear Sunday that he is still willing to ratchet up pressure.
“I would hate to do it, but it’s their water, their desalinization plants, their electric-generating plants, which are very easy to hit,” the president said in a Fox News interview.
ICYMI: President Donald J. Trump's full interview this morning with @MariaBartiromo on @SundayFutures pic.twitter.com/No7MHmkaOR
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 12, 2026
The White House, at least publicly, is not previewing the next move. But it isn’t walking back the threat.
A White House spokeswoman told the Journal that Trump had already ordered a naval blockade tied to Iranian shipping and was keeping “all additional options on the table,” while dismissing outside claims about his next step as speculation.
CENTCOM backed up the core operational piece Sunday in an official press release.
U.S. Central Command said forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports at 10 a.m. ET on April 13, 2026. The command said the measure would be enforced against vessels of all nations going to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, while also stressing that U.S. forces “will not impede freedom of navigation” for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.
That distinction matters.
Trump’s initial public language was sweeping, but CENTCOM’s formal statement narrowed the practical scope to Iranian port traffic rather than all commercial movement through the strait.
Iran is already signaling it sees the move as a major escalation.
Iranian officials and military figures, in comments carried by the Journal, called the threatened blockade an “act of war,” warned that no Gulf or Sea of Oman port would be safe if Iranian ports were threatened, and mocked the U.S. plan as “ridiculous and laughable.”
The broader picture is simple enough: diplomacy did not produce a breakthrough, the White House is moving ahead with maritime pressure, and Trump is again making clear that harder military options remain on the board.
🚨 NOW: A total NAVAL BLOCKADE on Iranian ships is about to commence, US forces are gearing up to strangle Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz
President Trump is back at the White House today 🔥
Iran could've presented this by obeying the deal. They screwed up! pic.twitter.com/XlGfQjH56R
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 13, 2026
