In an interview with Fox News on Monday, US President Donald Trump issued perhaps an extreme threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran, declaring that Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it attacked American vessels operating under his newly announced “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz. “We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” Trump told Fox News’ Trey Yingst, adding that US “fast boats” had already “shot down seven small boats” belonging to Iranian forces. The president’s latest outburst, however, rang hollow against the backdrop of his sinking political fortunes at home. A Washington Post poll released on Monday found Trump’s disapproval rating at a record high of 62 percent, with only 37 percent approving of his performance, as economic concerns and the unpopular Iran war continued to weigh on voters ahead of the November midterm elections. Further underscoring the depth of public discontent, a separate survey conducted by Ipsos/Reuters found that 66 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the president’s handling of the Iran crisis, with only 33 percent offering their support. Even among his political base, patience appears to be wearing thin: the same poll found that while 79 percent of Republicans initially backed military action, that support is steadily eroding as the war drags into its third month with no clear victory in sight.
In a separate post on Truth Social, Trump urged South Korea to join the US‑led maritime mission, claiming that Iran had “taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship”. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” Trump wrote, apparently hoping that Seoul’s participation would lend international legitimacy to an operation that has so far failed to secure the backing of even close European allies. Yet the Trump administration’s appeal to South Korea is largely symbolic: without a comprehensive ceasefire and the lifting of the US naval blockade, no amount of allied warships will induce commercial shipping lines to risk transiting the strait. As Hapag‑Lloyd, one of the world’s largest container shipping lines, confirmed on Monday, “our risk assessment remains unchanged; transits through the Strait of Hormuz are currently not possible for Hapag‑Lloyd vessels”. The shipping industry, which has hundreds of vessels and 20,000 seafarers trapped in the Gulf, knows that military convoys alone cannot guarantee safe passage as long as the underlying conflict remains unresolved.
The Trump administration’s credibility suffered a further blow on Monday when Iranian media reported that US warships attempting to enter the strait had been forced to retreat after coming under missile attack off the port of Jask. According to the semi‑official Fars News Agency, an American warship “violated security protocols for transit and navigation near Jask with the intent to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, [and] came under missile attack after ignoring warnings from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy”. Fars added that the warship “has been prevented from continuing its course due to these strikes and has been forced to retreat and flee the area”. US Central Command immediately denied the report, claiming that no US vessel had been struck.
The latest escalation comes as Iran is carefully reviewing Washington’s response to its comprehensive 14‑point peace plan, which the Islamic Republic submitted to the United States through Pakistani mediators. The proposal, which has been publicly outlined by Iranian state media, calls for the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Iran, the lifting of the illegal naval blockade of Iranian ports, the release of frozen Iranian assets, the payment of war compensation, the lifting of all sanctions, and the end of hostilities on all fronts, including the Israeli war on Lebanon. Crucially, the plan also envisions a new mechanism for managing the Strait of Hormuz that would recognise Iran’s sovereign role as the guarantor of maritime security in the Persian Gulf. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran had received Washington’s response to the plan and was currently reviewing it. However, he added a note of caution, stating that the US response was “difficult to accept” due to what he described as “unreasonable demands”. The Trump administration, for its part, has yet to make a formal public statement on the contents of its reply, but Trump himself has signalled that he finds the Iranian terms unacceptable.
In a statement issued on the same day as Trump’s Fox News interview, the unified command of Iran’s armed forces warned commercial vessels and oil tankers to refrain from any movement that was not co‑ordinated with Iranian authorities. “We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US Army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement declared. The IRGC Navy has also published a new map delineating an expanded area of control that stretches across much of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman, a clear signal that Tehran considers the security of these waters its exclusive responsibility.
As the war enters its third month, the costs are mounting on all sides. Global oil prices remain elevated, with Brent crude trading near 120 a barrel, and the International Energy Agency has warned that the world faces the biggest energy crisis in history. The closure of the strait has cut off approximately one‑fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply, pushing up inflation and raising the spectre of a global recession. In the United States, gasoline prices have soared past 4.30 per gallon, adding to the economic pain felt by ordinary Americans. And yet, despite these enormous costs, Trump continues to insist that Iran must surrender its nuclear programme and its control over the strait before any deal can be reached.