On Tuesday, US President Trump (Donald Trump) stated that Iran had proactively contacted the United States, claiming its regime was in a “state of collapse” and urgently hoping for the US to open the Strait of Hormuz to help address the changing dynamics within its leadership.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday morning, Trump revealed the latest developments in US-Iran communication: “Iran has just informed us that they are in a ‘state of collapse’. They hope that we can quickly ‘open the Strait of Hormuz’, while they are also trying to resolve their leadership situation (I believe they can do it!).”
In recent weeks, the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign has escalated, targeting Iran’s oil exports and financial networks with precision. Currently, the US Navy has imposed a tight blockade on Iranian ports, cutting off their economic lifeline and curbing hostile forces from expanding in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy passage.
US officials have noted that this dual military and economic pressure aims to significantly weaken the Iranian regime’s capabilities, forcing them to meet US conditions (especially on nuclear issues) before returning to the negotiation table.
Despite facing collapse, Iran is still trying to employ delaying tactics at the negotiation table. On Monday, Iran sent a second-phase plan through a Pakistani mediator, proposing to reopen the strait in exchange for lifting the blockade, but attempting to defer core nuclear issues for future discussions.
Reuters, citing official sources, reported that Trump views this proposal as insincere, completely sidestepping the Iranian nuclear threat. One official bluntly stated, “He does not like this proposal.”
The blockade is causing devastating financial blows to Iran. Nearly half of Iran’s export revenue in 2025 came from oil, but now, under the iron-fisted US blockade, Iranian oil cannot be exported at all, and domestic storage space has reached its limit.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran is taking extreme measures to boost its energy reserves, including restarting abandoned facilities and utilizing old oil tankers retired for 30 years. Energy tracking firm Kpler warned that Iran’s oil storage capacity could be completely depleted in 12 to 22 days. With their energy supply cut off, soaring prices and internal unrest have presented an unprecedented challenge to the Iranian regime.