President Trump stated that he is expecting a proposal from Iran's leaders to end the war imminently, just hours after imposing sanctions on some of the country's top weapons dealers. Amid ongoing talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the president told reporters that Iran was expected to give the United States an answer on a peace offering by Friday evening, according to Reuters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that he hopes what Iran lays on the table is 'a serious offer' after weeks of bombing and blockades between the two countries. The US and Iran initiated a ceasefire in April, but the US fired a round of 'retaliatory' airstrikes on Friday targeting oil tankers. However, the President claimed that the latest round of strikes did not breach the tenuous ceasefire agreement.
Trump's anticipation for a peace offer comes on the same day that the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against ten suppliers 'enabling efforts by Iran's military to secure weapons.'
'While the surviving [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] leaders are trapped like rats in a sinking ship, the Treasury Department is unrelenting in our Economic Fury campaign,' said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent in a press release. 'Under President Trump's decisive leadership, we will continue to act to Keep America Safe and target foreign individuals and companies providing Iran's military with weapons for use against U.S. forces.'
Per the release, the US Treasury has implemented 'maximum pressure' on Iran's ability to move and generate funds allocated for weapons and oil. Among the sanctioned groups are China's Yushita Shanghai International Trade Co Ltd, Dubai's Elite Energy FZCO, Hong Kong's Hesin Industry Co Limited, and the Belarusian Armory Alliance LLC.
'Treasury is aggressively advancing Economic Fury and has disrupted billions in projected oil revenue, taken actions that have led to the freezing of nearly half a billion dollars in regime-linked cryptocurrency and cracked down on Tehran's shadow banking networks,' it continued. The Trump administration has targeted Iran's primary revenue streams and 'any person or vessel facilitating the illicit flow of oil or other products risks exposure to U.S. sanctions.'
On May 8, US forces already disabled two Iranian oil tankers that attempted to enter the Gulf of Oman. A third oil tanker was stopped at the Gulf of Oman on May 6. 'As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported,' the statement concluded.
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