US President Donald Trump tells Axios that he rejects an Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz while Washington lifts the blockade on Iran, pushing nuclear talks off.
The US will not lift its blockade of Iran until a nuclear deal is reached, Trump stresses. “They want to settle. They don’t want me to keep the blockade. I don’t want to [end the blockade] because I don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he says.
“The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing,” Trump says. “They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
The president also says that Iran’s energy infrastructure is going “to explode soon” if it isn’t able to export oil.
Meanwhile, three sources with knowledge tell the US outlet that the US Central Command has prepared a “short and powerful” bombing campaign in order to push Iran to accept US demands. The strikes would include infrastructure targets, say the officials.
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
— Stav Levaton, military reporter
Yes, I'll join
Yes, I'll join
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
