President Trump just played his “trump card” against Iran. With the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump is showing his hand—and at a game with stakes this high, it’s no small bluff.
“I could take out Iran in one day… in one hour,” the President warned in a phone interview with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.
In a Truth Social post, he announced, “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz.”
The US Navy, Trump detailed, will seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran, adding, “Any Iranian who fires at us or at peaceful vessels will be blown to hell.”
This is not just a naval blockade. This is checkmate. This is a move on a regime that somehow believed it had the upper hand. As of Monday, when this blockade went into effect, the US Navy is in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s toll booth is closed for business—for good.
Iran wanted to require up to $2 million per vessel that passes through the strait—waters that don’t belong to the regime. This ridiculous demand was rightfully called extortion by the Trump administration.
Iran has been exporting, on average, more than 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day during this war, which is 100,000 more barrels than in the 3 months before it started. Very simply, the Trump administration’s blockade cuts the oxygen. All the oil money runs through this choke point, keeping the IRGC, Iranian terror proxies, and nuclear program funded. You shut the money down; you shut the regime down.
Let’s back up for just a moment. How did we get here?
It was the most direct US-Iran engagement in 47 years. Vice President JD Vance flew on Air Force 2 to Islamabad, Pakistan, with a delegation of nearly 300 people, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The Iranians showed up with a delegation of 70. After 21 hours of talks, the Vice President announced that the negotiations “walked away with nothing.”
“Their nuclear programs, such as it is, the enrichment facilities that they had before, they’ve been destroyed,” Vance underscored after the talks. “But the simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon, not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term? We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will.”
Sending Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan was a strategic move. Vance is one of the least hawkish members of the Trump inner circle on Iran—at least that is the perception. He has been the voice in the room saying, “Let’s give diplomacy, real diplomacy, a shot.” So Trump taps him to get on a plane. Why? To show the American people and the world that there is no deal to be had with zealots who chant “death to America,” and “death to Israel.”
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was leading the Iranian delegation. He said that the United States failed to “gain the trust” of his delegation. Consider that statement for a moment. The Iranian regime is laying mines in an international waterway, demanding reparations for the war, and seeking to extort every ship that passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet, this is the regime lecturing America, Israel, and the world about trust. It’s outrageous and absurd.
Iran’s navy is underwater. Their air force is scrap metal. Their missile production facilities are largely destroyed. Their nuclear program has been decimated. Iran is getting crushed. The cardboard cutout, or whoever is calling the shots in Iran, is a mystery. And yet, this deluded regime is strangely emboldened. Why? Maybe it’s because of what some Democrats and people in the anti-Israel crowd in the United States are saying.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has continued to push for a war powers resolution, one which the Democrats—oddly enough—never tried to force on Barack Obama, told MS Now: “We’re going to make sure that we provide our Republican colleagues with every single opportunity to do the right thing on behalf of the American people, which means bringing an immediate end to Donald Trump’s reckless and costly failed war of choice against Iran.”
Senator Chuck Schumer declared that “the nations of the world are furious at Trump.”
“The Europeans, the Asians, even the Middle Eastern allies, they say, ‘What the hell is he doing?’” Schumer claimed. “The United States diplomatic position and credibility in the world is dramatically worse because of this war.”
It’s no wonder why Iran was emboldened at the negotiating table! But it’s all lies.
Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and others seem to have forgotten that the internet exists. Every one of them is on tape, warning against the Iranian threat. Even Hillary Clinton previously stated, “I will attack Iran if I become president of the United States.”
Yet, despite all their warnings, President Trump has been the only commander-in-chief actually willing to deal with the threat, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, visiting IDF troops in Lebanon, said that Israel’s finger is resting on the trigger. This is a pause. Israel has raised the military’s alert level significantly, instructing the army “to prepare for an immediate resumption of fighting” and to return to combat with “full force” if required at any given moment.
The wild card is Europe. Trump stated that the UK and other countries were willing to finally step up and help by sending mine sweepers to uncover the bombs potentially planted by the IRGC. Remember, Iran supposedly “lost” them—an obvious lie! Unfortunately, the UK responded by insisting that Britain is “not joining the blockade.” France and Germany are also keeping their distance. Italy and Spain both refused to let Trump use their bases or airspace. President Trump called them out for their lack of support, calling it a “stain” on the alliance that will never disappear.
Florida Senator Rick Scott stated, “Europe would all be speaking German if it weren’t for American service members and what we did to save their butts in the Second World War. For them to not support what we’re doing in Iran, to make them safer and Americans safer, is just foolish. NATO is going to have to change. Either they’re going to step up and be a partner and be an ally, or why are we even involved in it?”
The blockade on the Strait of Hormuz isn’t the last card. The blockade is the next card. It’s time for European leaders like Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to recalculate. Vladimir Putin is watching your every move closely.
President Trump feels betrayed—and rightfully so! The American taxpayers have provided a blanket of security for these NATO countries that refuse to step up on their own behalf.
Vice President Vance and the American team left those negotiations because Iran needs to first collide with reality before its negotiators can sit down at a table that produces anything substantive. The blockade is that collision. If Iran’s leverage is the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump just neutralized the Strait, what exactly is Iran negotiating with?
Here’s the truth. No president, prime minister, regime, or negotiator is ultimately in control. The God of Israel is. Leaders make plans. Nations posture. But history is still being written by His mighty hand, and none of what is going on is a surprise to Him.
Our duty as believers is to pray for wisdom for our leaders, the peace of Jerusalem, and to continue proclaiming the good news of the gospel. Because above all… He reigns, and His plans can’t be stopped.
