President Trump said that he is expecting a proposal from Iran’s leaders to end the war imminently – just hours after imposing sanctions on some of the country’s top weapons dealers.
Amid ongoing talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the president told reporters that Iran was expected to give the United States an answer on a peace offering by Friday evening, Reuters said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added he hopes what Iran lays on the table is ‘a serious offer’ after weeks of bombing and blockades between the countries.
The two countries initiated a ceasefire in April, but the US fired a round of ‘self defense’ strikes on Friday targeting two oil tankers.
However, the President claimed that the latest round of strikes did not breach the tenuous ceasefire agreement.
Trump’s anticipation for a peace offer comes on the same day that the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against ten suppliers ‘enabling efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons.’
‘While the surviving [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] leaders are trapped like rats in a sinking ship, the Treasury Department is unrelenting in our Economic Fury campaign,’ said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in a press release.
‘Under President Trump’s decisive leadership, we will continue to act to Keep America Safe and target foreign individuals and companies providing Iran’s military with weapons for use against U.S. forces.’
President Trump told reporters that he expected an answer from Iran tonight amid ongoing negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz
Per the release, the US Treasury has implemented ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran’s ability to move and generate funds allocated for weapons and oil.
Among the sanctioned groups are China’s Yushita Shanghai International Trade Co Ltd, Dubai’s Elite Energy FZCO, Hong Kong’s Hesin Industry Co Limited and multiple Belarusian entities.
‘Treasury is aggressively advancing Economic Fury and has disrupted billions in projected oil revenue, taken actions that have led to the freezing of nearly half a billion dollars in regime-linked cryptocurrency and cracked down on Tehran’s shadow banking networks,’ it said.
The Trump administration has targeted Iran’s primary revenue streams and ‘any person or vessel facilitating the illicit flow of oil or other products risks exposure to U.S. sanctions.’
‘As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported,’ the statement concluded.
Trump’s Economic Fury was announced in April as another pressure point against Iran in tandem with Operation Epic Fury.
Is ramping up sanctions and military action the path to peace or does it push us closer to war?
The US disabled multiple Iran oil tankers this week, though the president said the apprehensions were not in breach of the ceasefire
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the time that the two initiatives were meant to ‘maximize pressure across the entirety of the government to Iran.’
‘You, Iran, can choose a prosperous future, a golden bridge, and we hope that you do for the people of Iran. In the meantime, and for as long as it takes, we will maintain this blockade, this successful blockade,’ he said.
‘But if Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy.’
As a result, on May 8, US forces disabled two Iranian oil tankers that attempted to enter the Gulf of Oman in ‘violation of the ongoing US blockade.’ Another oil tanker was stopped on May 6.
The US fired precision munitions at each ship’s smoke stacks to prevent them from entering Iranian ports, reported the US Central Command.
‘US forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,’ said Admiral Brad Cooper. ‘Our highly trained men and women in uniform are doing incredible work.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Economic Fury last month as another pressure point against Iran
USS Rafael Peralta implemented a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Stream. The US ship was attacked by Iran on Thursday but was not struck
As alleged peace agreements near, Iranian leaders claimed that the US’s strikes have breached ceasefire agreements made between the countries on April 8.
‘Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure,’ Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said in a statement, the Daily Mail previously reported.
But, US Central Command said on Thursday that its forces intercepted an ‘unprovoked’ Iranian attack on three of its vessels as they transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman.
Still, the president has remained confident that peace agreements are near.
‘It’s just a love tap,’ Trump said of the strikes. ‘The ceasefire is going. It’s in effect.’
The Daily Mail contacted the White House for comment.
