blockade of Iranian ports<\/a> has been a success, urging Tehran to \u201cjust give up\u201d as pressure mounts in a deepening standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\nIran has pushed back strongly, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf dismissing the US campaign as ineffective, while the military says its restraint so far has been \u201cintended to give diplomacy a chance\u201d.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are rippling through global markets, sending oil prices above $120 a barrel and driving US petrol prices to a four-year high.<\/p>\n
Here is what we know as the conflict enters day 62:<\/p>\n
In Iran
\nBlockade \u2018doomed to fail\u2019: Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian said a US naval blockade on Iranian ports would deepen disruptions in the Gulf while failing to achieve its targets. \u201cAny attempt to impose a maritime blockade or restrictions is contrary to international law\u2026 and is doomed to fail,\u201d Pezeshkian said in a statement.
\nIran speaker dismisses blockade\u2019s impact on oil: Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said no oil wells have \u201cexploded\u201d under the US blockade, arguing the measures have only driven up global prices. He added Iran\u2019s storage has not reached capacity and accused US officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, of acting on \u201cjunk advice\u201d over the policy.
\nCan the blockade force a production halt? The US says cutting off exports will eventually push Iran\u2019s storage to capacity, forcing output to stop, but analysts say remaining storage may cover only about 20 days of output. As Muyu Xu, a senior crude oil analyst at Kpler, notes, any cuts are likely to be gradual, with a higher chance of acceleration into May.
\nNo US presence in strait: Ghalibaf vowed his country\u2019s control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz would ensure a future without US presence in the Gulf region.
\nWar diplomacy
\nPutin-Trump talks: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his US counterpart Donald Trump not to resume attacks on Iran. In a phone call between the two leaders, Putin said Trump\u2019s decision to extend the ceasefire was \u201cthe right one\u201d, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, including from the AFP news agency.
\nSticking points in US-Iran negotiations: The two sides remain divided over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme and uranium stockpile, the US blockade, the release of $20bn in Iranian assets, and Tehran\u2019s demand for $270bn in war reparations.
\nGeopolitical ripple effects: OPEC is reportedly in \u201ccrisis mode\u201d amid the energy shock and the UAE\u2019s plan to exit the group. Trump is also weighing a reduction of US troops in Germany after tensions with Berlin.
\nUS-Germany tensions: Trump said the US was considering reducing its troops in Germany over Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s refusal to join Washington\u2019s war against Iran \u2013 a force estimated between 35,000 and 50,000 troops.
\nEU pushes back: Following Trump\u2019s comments, the European Union said Thursday that the deployment of US troops in Europe was in Washington\u2019s interest. \u201cOur NATO allies are also increasing their defence spending at an unprecedented pace,\u201d EU spokeswoman Anitta Hipper added.
\nIn the Gulf
\nIran condemns Bahrain citizenship revocations: Tehran says Manama violated the rights of 69 people stripped of citizenship for allegedly supporting Iranian attacks. Bahrain\u2019s Ministry of Interior accused them of \u201ccolluding with foreign entities\u201d, while Iran\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d and an attempt to deflect from support for US-Israeli actions.
\nIn the US
\n\u00a0\u2018$25bn\u2019 cost of the war so far: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked during a fiery exchange in Congress about the cost of 60 days of conflict, and replied that it was estimated at less than $25bn so far.
\nLong blockade: Trump has told national security officials to prepare for a long blockade of Iran\u2019s ports to compel Tehran to give up its nuclear programme, according to the Wall Street Journal.
\n\u2018No more Mr. Nice Guy\u2019: \u201cIran can\u2019t get their act together. They don\u2019t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!\u201d Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, alongside an illustration of himself holding an assault rifle, with the caption \u201cNO MORE MR. NICE GUY!\u201d
\nEconomic toll of the blockade: Washington says it has seized nearly $500m in Iranian crypto assets under \u201cOperation Economic Fury\u201d to ramp up pressure. Meanwhile, US Democrats are criticising the war\u2019s $25bn cost, citing higher fuel and food prices for Americans.
\nIn Israel
\nIsrael warns Iran: Israel\u2019s defence minister said his country may soon have to \u201cact again\u201d against Iran, to ensure the Islamic republic \u201cdoes not once again become a threat to Israel\u201d.
\nIn Lebanon and Gaza
\nLebanon slams Israel: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the \u201ccontinuing Israeli violations\u201d in south Lebanon, saying they included \u201cdemolitions of homes and places of worship, while the number of killed and wounded rises day after day\u201d.
\nDeadly Lebanon strike: Israeli strikes on three south Lebanon villages killed nine people, among them two children and five women, according to Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry.
\nGaza crisis deepens: Israeli forces have intercepted a Gaza-bound civilian aid convoy in what a press officer described as a possible \u201ckidnapping on the high seas\u201d, while Palestinians continue to be killed in the Gaza Strip despite a fragile \u201cceasefire\u201d.
\nGlobal economy
\nOil jumps: Global crude prices soared following reports of a possible extended blockade, with Brent jumping above $119 a barrel to its highest level since 2022 and US benchmark WTI above $105.
\nRecord profits: French fossil fuel giant TotalEnergies said net profit rose 51 percent in the first quarter to $5.8bn, boosted by higher oil prices linked to the war in Iran.
\nAsia hit hard by rising oil prices: The Asia Pacific region, heavily reliant on Middle East oil, is feeling the strain as Brent crude nears $120 a barrel. The Asian Development Bank has cut growth forecasts and raised inflation projections, with higher fuel and food prices hitting millions.
\n\u2018Major energy crisis\u2019: The world is facing a \u201cmajor energy and economic challenge\u201d as oil prices have soared in the wake of the war, said International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol at a Paris meeting. With the world faced with \u201cthe biggest energy crisis in history\u201d, oil prices were \u201cputting a lot of pressure in many countries\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXPLAINER Trump says the US blockade of Iranian ports is working, urging Tehran to \u2018give up\u2019 amid tensions.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419365,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1153,54,5697,42,87,46,88,47,2899,43,40,38,41,39,1032,162198],"class_list":["post-419364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-conflict","tag-donald-trump","tag-explainer","tag-headlines","tag-iran","tag-israel","tag-lebanon","tag-middle-east","tag-military","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-united-states","tag-us-israel-war-on-iran"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-1-1-1727085849.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n