Trump threatens renewed Iran war as Tehran says blockade is beyond limits
Donald Trump has signalled the US could use force against Iran again, as Tehran denounces the naval blockade and the UN warns the Hormuz crisis is squeezing the global economy.
Tensions in the Middle East have intensified again, with US President Donald Trump signalling that military pressure on Iran could resume, while Tehran has condemned the US naval blockade as an unacceptable escalation. Reuters reported that the White House is still trying to frame the conflict as effectively paused under an early-April ceasefire, even as wider tensions remain unresolved.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the US blockade of Iranian ports and continuing threats are among the main obstacles to meaningful negotiations. Reuters also reported on April 30 that Iran warned it would respond with “long and painful strikes” if Washington renewed attacks, underscoring how fragile the present truce remains.
The United Nations has also warned of the wider economic fallout. Secretary-General António Guterres said disruption in the Strait of Hormuz was hitting oil, gas, fertiliser and other critical commodities, while also destabilising energy, transport, manufacturing and food markets. He warned that the crisis was placing growing pressure on the global economy.
In Washington, the legal and political argument is also intensifying. Reuters reported that the Trump administration said hostilities had been “terminated” for the purposes of the War Powers Resolution, allowing it to avoid seeking fresh congressional authorisation before the May 1 deadline. Critics, however, argued that the law contains no provision for pausing the 60-day clock because of a ceasefire.
At the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth has defended the conflict amid mounting scrutiny over cost. Reuters reported this week that the war has already cost the United States an estimated US$25 billion, while separate Reuters reporting said Trump had earlier proposed a US$1.5 trillion defence budget for fiscal 2027.
The regional conflict is also spilling into Lebanon, where Reuters has continued to report deadly Israeli strikes in the south despite ceasefire arrangements coming under strain. That has added another layer of instability to an already volatile regional picture.
