New Delhi — Updated 12:56 PM IST, Apr 23, 2026
The White House says Iran is losing roughly $500 million each day because of a broad US-led naval blockade, a senior administration spokeswoman told reporters on Thursday.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the economic pressure continues even as direct military strikes remain paused. She described the effort, which the administration calls “Operation Economic Fury,” as a deliberate squeeze on Tehran’s economy and said the President is satisfied with the results as officials await an Iranian response.
Leavitt framed the current approach as a combination of a battlefield pause and ongoing financial coercion intended to compel Iranian compliance. She said the decision to extend the ceasefire reflected confidence in the blockade’s effectiveness and reiterated that US “red lines” are clear.
At the center of Washington’s demands, she said, is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Leavitt repeated that Iran must not acquire a bomb and must hand over enriched uranium in its possession as part of the response the US expects.
She also said diplomatic contacts are continuing privately, and suggested that Iran’s off‑the‑record concessions to US negotiators differ from its public statements. Leavitt accused Iran of flouting conventional naval norms in strategic waters, calling some recent actions “piracy.”
Leavitt maintained that the US currently holds the military upper hand and said the blockade is inflicting significant economic and financial pain on Iran. The administration presented the measures as a way to maintain pressure while avoiding renewed kinetic conflict as negotiations continue behind the scenes.
