The United States has warned that it could maintain a naval blockade on Iran indefinitely and said it plans to intensify economic pressure. Speaking in Panama on Thursday, August 14, 2026, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the American military has the capacity to sustain a regional naval presence to enforce the blockade. He said the measure has caused major damage to Iran’s economy.

Hegseth said the US Navy has been regularly stopping ships and would continue doing so. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Newsmax that further announcements on economic measures against Iran would come next week. He said Washington was preparing pressure against Iran on a scale not previously imposed on any country.

After a possible June agreement to end the war collapsed, Tehran has sought to increase pressure on the United States by using control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to the report. UAE state news agency WAM said two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company vessels were attacked while passing through the strait on Thursday evening. The UAE government condemned the incident as an Iranian attack.