"We may put it back": Trump suggests imposing naval blockade back on Iran

Ankara [Turkiye], July 8 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that Washington could reimpose its naval blockade on Iran, following a series of attacks on commercial vessels by Tehran near the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump made the remarks during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, indicating that a blockade could be used as another measure against Tehran.
"We may put down the blockade. We may put it back, the blockade. And it'll only be a blockade for Iran," Trump said.
The US President stated that the blockade will only be imposed on vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports, and other nations would not be affected by the measure.
Trump further stated that Tehran could attempt to deploy mines in the waterway but claimed US forces were capable of countering such actions.
"Anybody else can have whatever they want. Now, of course, they'll drop some mines if they can, if they can do it. But it's hard because we're taking out those little boats," he added.
The potential move would mark another escalation in Washington's response after Iran's alleged attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has already reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports and carried out a series of strikes on Iranian targets.
Trump had also indicated that Washington could launch another round of strikes against Iran, following strikes on Tuesday, saying it had already hit Tehran "very hard" and warning of further attacks.
Trump made the remarks ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, where he expressed frustration with Iranian leadership and described the country's actions as aggressive.
"We hit them very hard last night and very probably hit them hard again tonight," Trump said.
"They've been the bully of the Middle East, and they're not the bully anymore," he added.
The US President accused Iranian leaders of repeatedly reversing their positions during negotiations, labelling them as "cuckoo" while claiming that Tehran had shown willingness to reach an agreement before publicly changing its stance.
"They'll agree on everything, and then they'll go and have a news conference and say we never even talked about it," Trump said.
"They're cuckoo; there's something wrong with these people," he added.
Earlier, Trump announced that the ceasefire agreement with Iran had effectively concluded for him, declaring that he no longer wished to engage in diplomatic dealings with Tehran.
"To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... They're led by sick people... I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate - they're good people... but they have to come back to me. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them," he said.
This comes after US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday announced that American forces had carried out a fresh round of offensive strikes against Iran, targeting more than 80 sites in response to Tehran's latest attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US had previously imposed a blockade after Iran effectively disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict in West Asia, a key global energy route through which a significant portion of the world's oil shipments pass. (ANI)