President asserts Tehran faces internal power struggle while U.S. military enforces strict control over strategic waterway amid ongoing ceasefire and stalled negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes Iran’s regime is effectively leaderless and embroiled in internal conflict, attributing the situation to U.S. military dominance over the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!” Trump wrote in an April 23 post on Truth Social.
“We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is ‘Sealed up Tight,’ until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL,” he added.
A day earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the administration believes it has identified the Iranian official who could sign an agreement to end the conflict, citing internal fractures within the regime. The individual was not named.
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in an April 22 post on X that it had directed 31 vessels to return to port or reverse course since enforcing the blockade of Iran earlier in the month.
Trump referenced reports of internal division on April 21 when announcing that the United States would extend the ceasefire with Iran “until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”
Amid the uncertainty, an Iranian regime spokesperson told state-run media that it remains undecided whether Iran will participate in further peace talks with the United States. A prior round of negotiations held in Pakistan earlier in April did not yield an agreement. U.S. officials had been scheduled to meet Iranian representatives again in Pakistan on April 21 before Trump announced the extension of the ceasefire.
In another April 23 post, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. military to “shoot to kill” Iranian vessels laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that American minesweeping ships are continuing efforts to remove explosive devices from the waterway.
The U.S. military also announced the seizure of another tanker linked to the smuggling of Iranian oil. Ship-tracking data indicated the vessel, Majestic X, was located in a similar area of the Indian Ocean as the previously seized tanker Tifani.
“International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain,” the Pentagon said in a post on X.
On April 22, Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them, describing the action as retaliation for the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on X that the Strait would remain effectively closed and claimed reopening it would be “impossible” while the U.S. blockade persists.
Weeks of U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran resulted in the deaths of dozens of regime leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named as successor but has not appeared in public since his reported appointment in mid-March.
