Trump warns Iran to 'get smart' as US readies port blockade

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, April 29 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Iran to "get smart soon" and sign a deal, following days of deadlock in efforts to end the two-month conflict and reports that the United States would extend its blockade of Iranian ports in a bid to force Tehran to capitulate. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran "couldn't get its act together" and featured a mock-up image of himself wielding a machine gun with the caption "No more Mr. Nice Guy." The Wall Street Journal cited U.S. officials as saying the president had instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran's ports, opting to continue squeezing Iran's economy and oil exports as his other options, resuming bombing or walking away from the conflict, carried more risk. The conflict, which began on February 28, has killed thousands and thrown energy markets into turmoil. Iran has largely blocked all shipping apart from its own from the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies, since the war began, and the U.S. began blockading Iranian ships this month. Iran wants discussion of its nuclear program deferred until the conflict is formally ended, while Trump has demanded the nuclear issue be addressed from the outset. Iran maintains a stockpile of roughly 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, material that could be used for several nuclear weapons if further enriched. Since the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war and the elevation of his son Mojtaba to replace him, Iranian officials and analysts say power has shifted to hardline commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, potentially hardening Tehran's negotiating stance. Oil prices rose nearly 3 percent on Wednesday, with Brent hitting a one-month high, on concerns that an extended blockade would prolong supply disruptions. The World Bank forecast energy prices would surge by 24 percent in 2026 if the most acute disruptions end in May. Meanwhile, Trump's approval rating fell to 34 percent, the lowest of his current term, as Americans soured on his handling of the cost of living and the unpopular war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. U.S. intelligence agencies, at the request of senior administration officials, are studying how Iran would respond if Trump were to declare a unilateral victory in the conflict that has become a political liability for the White House.