(SeaPRwire) – The United States is said to be considering additional troop deployments as its naval presence expands around the Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump has dismissed the idea of a ceasefire with Iran as the Middle East war enters its fourth week, asserting that Washington holds a military upper hand.
”I don’t want to do a ceasefire… You know you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Friday.
He stated that US strikes had “knocked out everything” – Iran’s navy, air force, and air defense systems, adding that Tehran was “finished” militarily.
On Friday, Trump called NATO allies “cowards” and warned the bloc was a “paper tiger” without US leadership, urging partners to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz – a key global oil shipping route.
Speaking to reporters later, he downplayed the waterway’s importance to Washington, arguing that countries more dependent on it should take responsibility for restoring shipping flows. “We don’t use that strait directly. The United States doesn’t need it. Europe needs it. Korea, Japan, China — many others,” he said, adding that “at a certain point, it’ll open itself.”
However, US media have reported that American amphibious ships and thousands of Marines are being deployed to the region as part of a broader military buildup, potentially to reinforce naval operations around the strategic choke point.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, marking the Persian New Year of Nowruz, said the country had dealt “a dizzying blow” to its enemies and described the US-Israeli assault as a “gross miscalculation.” An Iranian military spokesman also warned that “even parks, recreational areas, and tourist destinations anywhere in the world will no longer be safe” for Tehran’s enemies.
Fighting has continued across multiple fronts, with reported US and Israeli strikes in Iran and Lebanon even as millions across the region celebrated the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched the 70th wave of its ‘True Promise 4’ operation, targeting sites linked to US forces and Israel in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, as well as northern and central Israel.
Energy markets remain volatile amid shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude hovering around $110–112 a barrel after briefly spiking above $115 on Thursday, staying well above levels seen at the start of March.
- Trump indicated that the US would help other countries patrol the Strait of Hormuz if they answered his call, claiming it would be “an easy” operation.
- According to Lloyd’s List, several countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Iraq, and Malaysia, are directly discussing procedures with Iran to allow their ships to transit the strait.
- Israel said it had killed two more senior Iranian commanders, identifying them as Esmail Ahmadi, intelligence chief of the Basij paramilitary force, and Mehdi Rostami Shamastan, a senior Intelligence Ministry official.
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