Washington DC [US], April 29 : US President Donald Trump in an exclusive interview to Axios on Wednesday, said that he would continue to keep the naval blockade until Iran agrees to deal with the United States by addressing America's concerns about the nuclear program.
As per Axios, Trump is rejecting the Iranian proposal to first open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the blockade, while postponing the nuclear talks to a later stage.
Trump told Axios he saw the blockade as "somewhat more effective than the bombing," and, as sources said, he had yet to order any kinetic action as of Tuesday night.
"The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump told Axios.
This comes on the heels of POTUS posting an AI-generated meme of himself holding a gun with a warning to Iran and the tagline, "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY."
While, as of now, Donald Trump sees continuing the blockade as his primary source of leverage, according to Axios, sources said that he would consider military action if Iran still doesn't cave.
However, Trump declined to discuss any military plans in Wednesday's phone interview with Axios.
It further reported that while Trump said Iran wants to settle and does not want to see a continuation of the naval blockade, Trump on the other hand, does not want Tehran to have nuclear weapons.
"They want to settle. They don't want me to keep the blockade. I don't want to [lift the blockade], because I don't want them to have a nuclear weapon," Trump added.
As per Axios, Trump claimed that due to the blockade, Iran is not able to export oil, thus its storage and pipelines, "are getting close to exploding" because Iran can't export oil due to the blockade. However, analysts doubt that Iran is in immediate danger on that front.
As the security situation develops in the region, Axios reported, citing three sources, that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has prepared a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran in hopes of breaking the negotiating deadlock.
It further mentioned that post the strikes, which would likely include infra targets, Washington would press the regime to come back to the negotiating table and show more flexibility.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian security source quoted by English-language state media PRESS TV said on Wednesday the U.S. naval blockade "will soon be met with practical and unprecedented action."
While the source said that Iran's armed forces have shown restraint to give diplomacy a chance and provide Trump with an opportunity to end the war, the source stressed Iran's armed forces "believe that patience has limits and that a punishing response is necessary" if the blockade continues.
Also on Wednesday, Iran's Parliament Speaker, MB Ghalibaf, in an audio message, affirmed that Iran would defeat the "deceitful plan" of its adversaries and that US President Donald Trump is seeking the country's surrender through "internal discord and naval blockade", as reported by ISNA.
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