US Blockade Costs Iran $4.8 Billion in Oil Revenue, Pentagon Claims

The United States has intensified its economic pressure on Iran through a naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, a move the Pentagon claims has cost Tehran nearly $4.8 billion in oil revenue. According to reports citing Department of War estimates, these disruptions are specifically targeting Iran's sanctioned maritime trade and energy exports. Pentagon officials, including Acting Press Secretary Joel Valdez, have asserted that the operation is designed to maintain sustained economic pressure and inflict a significant blow to the Iranian regime's ability to fund terrorism and regional destabilization.

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The United States' blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is operating with full force and delivering the decisive impact we intended.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent further escalated the rhetoric, describing Iranian leadership as "rats in a sewer pipe" and highlighting the US's complete control over the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent stated that the blockade will continue until "Freedom of Navigation" is achieved, referencing a pre-February 27 status. He also pointed to a shortage of US dollars, food and gasoline rationing in Iran, and alleged international isolation of the country.

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We are inflicting a devastating blow to the Iranian regime's ability to fund terrorism and regional destabilization. Our Armed Forces in the region will continue to maintain this unrelenting pressure.

Iran's Embassy in South Africa responded sharply to Bessent's remarks, dismissing the US claims and accusing the US of losing both on the battlefield and in cyberspace. The embassy characterized the US statements as "pathetic noises" born from pain rather than victory. This exchange underscores the heightened tensions and the ongoing economic warfare between the two nations, with the US employing a strategy of maximum pressure and Iran vowing resistance.

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It is very difficult for rats in a sewer pipe to know what's going on in the outside world. Some colour for the Iranian Leadership as they literally sit in the dark: 1. The United States has complete control of the Strait of Hormuz. 2. There is a hard currency, i.e. U.S. dollar, shortage. 3. Food and gasoline rationing are in place. 4. The entire international community has turned against you. 5. The BLOCKADE will continue, until there is pre-February 27 Freedom of Navigation.