WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Tensions remained high in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, one day after the U.S. said it will continue to maintain a naval blockade against Iranian ports during a ceasefire.
Vice President JD Vance canceled plans to travel to Pakistan for talks with Iran. President Donald Trump is turning up the pressure in the hopes of forcing Iran back to the negotiating table.
Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran but maintained a naval blockade against Iranian ports. The president wrote on social media late Tuesday that “Iran is collapsing financially” and starving for cash, and that its military and police are “complaining that they are not getting paid.”
Iran attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday and escorted two of them to Iranian waters.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Gray Media’s White House correspondent Jon Decker that Trump has not set a timetable for the blockade or ceasefire.
“I’m not going to set a timetable for the president. He has not done that, and I won’t,” Leavitt said. “The president has not set a deadline himself. Ultimately, he will dictate the timetable. And again, he is satisfied with the naval blockade. And he understands that Iran is in a very weak position. And the cards are in President Trump’s hands right now.”
Pakistani mediators are trying to get the diplomatic process back on track, aiming to preside over a possible meeting between Iran and the U.S. as soon as this Friday. The White House said Wednesday that the ceasefire extension won’t last indefinitely.
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