New Delhi, Updated At : 12:56 PM Apr 23, 2026 IST
Iran is losing an estimated $500 million each day because of a broad US-led naval blockade, the White House said on Thursday, signalling growing economic pressure on Tehran despite a pause in direct military confrontation.
“There’s a ceasefire with the military and kinetic strikes, but Operation Economic Fury continues. We are completely strangling their economy through this blockade. They’re losing $500M a day… The President is satisfied with that as we await their response,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Her comments reflect a US approach that pairs a battlefield pause with sustained financial coercion to compel Iranian compliance. Leavitt said the choice to extend the ceasefire shows confidence in the blockade’s effectiveness. “The President chose to extend the ceasefire because it’s Iran who needs to get their act together,” she said, stressing that US “red lines” have been clear.
Central to Washington’s demands, she reiterated, is preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. “Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb to threaten the United States and our allies, and they must turn in the enriched uranium in their possession. We await their response,” Leavitt said.
She added that diplomatic engagement continues behind the scenes, asserting that Iran’s private concessions to US negotiators differ from its public statements. Leavitt also accused Iran of abandoning conventional naval norms, calling its recent conduct in strategic waters “piracy.” She maintained the US holds the upper hand militarily and that Iran is being weakened economically and financially by the ongoing blockade.
