President Donald Trump said a U.S. naval blockade against Iran is working and imposing significant economic pressure on the country, as May 1 marks a 60-day congressional deadline for the war.
"Right now, their economy is collapsing, inflation is at close to 100 percent," Trump told Newsmax in an interview that aired on Thursday. "They can't do any oil because we have a blockade that's 100-percent effective."
On April 10, the U.S. military began a naval blockade of all of Iran's ports following a ceasefire announced by Trump on April 7 that has mostly held up between the two nations. The ceasefire followed a roughly six-week conflict that saw dozens of members of Tehran's leadership, including its leader, killed during U.S. and Israeli strikes.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is primarily responsible for the blockade and war, said in an update Thursday that 44 commercial ships have been stopped or turned back to port in a bid to enforce the Iran blockade.
In the meantime, the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, has been effectively shut down, sending oil and gas prices soaring. According to figures released by the American Automobile Association on Friday, the price of a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.39 nationwide, while diesel prices hit $5.57 per gallon.
Trump in the Newxmax interview indicated that the United States "already won" against Iran and that the U.S. military "destroyed their navy, destroyed their air force ... their anti-aircraft equipment, their radar equipment, their leadership. Their leadership is destroyed. We've destroyed everything."
The president, however, said that he wanted to win by a "bigger margin," reiterating his statements that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
Before the conflict started, U.S. and Iranian officials were in negotiations in Qatar over Tehran's nuclear program.
"It's actually not good enough," he added. "We have to have guarantees they will never have a nuclear weapon."
The comments from Trump come as Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named to the position after his father was killed in U.S. airstrikes early on in the war, released a statement through state-run media asserting Tehran should control the Strait of Hormuz.
This Friday marks a deadline established by the War Powers Act of 1973, which requires Congress to declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days. The law allows for a potential 30-day extension of the conflict. It means that the Trump administration had until Friday to seek congressional authorization or cease fighting.
In remarks to the Senate on Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the 60-day timer was on pause due to the ceasefire.
“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding, means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegesth told lawmakers. “So you’re not in it. It’s our understanding, just so you know."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.