US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday 23 October 2026 that the United States could end the confrontation with the Islamic Republic very quickly, but the question is whether to finish the regime off or let it rot from within, because, he said, America is already getting everything it wants.
Trump described the Islamic Republic as a regime on the verge of failure, saying it faces inflation and has no money. He added that the US Navy controls the Strait of Hormuz and that the waterway is closed only to the Islamic Republic, not to other countries.
The naval blockade and oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz
The US president said other countries' oil continues to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and that last week more oil left via this route than ever before, even more than before the war. His remarks come as the naval blockade of the Islamic Republic's ports has effectively halted the regime's crude oil exports since late June.
Trump had earlier said in remarks in South Carolina that the US operation against the Islamic Republic would end soon, and in another statement he ruled out any negotiations with Tehran. At the same time, reports point to plans for new US and Israeli strikes being prepared for after the US midterm elections.
Two paths before Washington
Trump's latest remarks show that the White House regards economic pressure and the naval blockade as at least as effective as the military option. Oil exports, the main artery of the Islamic Republic's revenue and of the IRGC's budget, have been shut off, and the rial has lost much of its value in recent months; a cost the regime has placed on the shoulders of the people of Iran.
Trump says America can choose between quickly finishing off the Islamic Republic and leaving it to collapse from within.
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