WASHINGTON: Vessel crossings through the strategic Strait of Hormuz dropped to seven on Thursday, down from 14 the previous day, according to initial Kpler data reported by Reuters.
US Vice President JD Vance stated that Iran could potentially survive the intensifying American economic pressure for “a couple of weeks, a couple of months, or possibly longer.”
In an interview with CNBC, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asserted that the United States is set to impose the “toughest sanctions in history” on Tehran, boldly declaring that Washington was “going to collapse this regime.”
Meanwhile, Iran executed Ghaem Hosseini on Thursday in connection with the January protests in Isfahan. He marks the fifth individual to be put to death in a controversial legal case that has drawn sharp international concern from the UN regarding fair trial standards.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lashed out on Thursday at President Trump’s threatened “Economic D-Day” against Tehran, warning that aggressive US economic sanctions jeopardise global economic stability and national sovereignty.
This follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of what he characterized as the “most crushing economic operation ever” against Iran, issuing stern warnings of severe consequences for any nations or entities offering support to Tehran. Aligning with the administration, Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee stated Thursday that President Trump is executing the strongest economic measures ever taken against Iran to cripple its operations.
“This ‘Economic D-Day’ will decimate regime’s terror funding and force it to its knees,” the committee majority posted on X, urging the administration to “keep up the maximum pressure.” Concurrently, US Representative Don Bacon advocated Thursday for direct military strikes against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) alongside intensified financial measures, adding that the ideal resolution to the conflict would be for the Iranian people to “get their country back.”
“Until then, we should strike at the heart of the IRGC and choke their economy to death to destabilize the regime,” Bacon wrote in a post on X.
Bacon noted that President Trump’s core objectives remain preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability and ensuring that the vital shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz remain open. He described the Iranian population as “the most pro-American people in the Muslim world” who fundamentally desire freedom.
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