US Threatens Indefinite Naval Blockade of Iran Amid Dropped Oil Supply

The United States has threatened to maintain its naval blockade of Iran indefinitely, ratcheting up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered and global oil supply is dropping.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the U.S. military could keep a naval presence in the region to enforce its blockade of Iran, which has already inflicted severe economic damage on the country.

The U.S. lifted its blockade for a month in mid-June but reimposed it since then, cutting off Tehran's primary source of hard currency and compounding earlier losses from wartime strikes on its energy infrastructure.

Global oil supply is expected to fall by 4.3 million barrels per day this year, according to the International Energy Agency, while President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to escalate military strikes against Iran.