{"id":124681,"date":"2026-04-24T10:54:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=124681"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:54:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:54:48","slug":"trump-rules-out-n-option-amid-hormuz-struggle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>WASHINGTON(National Times)-  Bac\u00adked by Republican allies in Congress, President Don\u00adald Trump on Thursday\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1994375\/trump-says-ordered-us-navy-to-shoot-and-kill-boats-placing-mines-in-strait-of-hormuz\">ordered<\/a>\u00a0the US Navy to target and destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as US forces boarded a vessel transporting oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In subsequent remarks, he also ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, adding that while the US is in no rush to end the war, \u201cthe clock is ticking\u201d for the Islamic republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite an indefinite exte\u00adnsion in the ceasefire by the US, there has been no progress regarding the second round of peace talks between the two countries, with Tehran saying talks would not be possible amid a blockade of its ports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush has arrived in the Middle East, bringing the number of the massive American warships operating in the region to three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A second carrier was operating in the Red Sea on Thursday, while a third is also in the region, according to social media posts by Centcom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s state news agency&nbsp;<em>IRNA<\/em>&nbsp;said the \u201csound of air defence firing\u201d was heard in western Tehran, while the Mehr news agency reported that air defence systems were activated in several parts of the capital to counter \u201chostile targets\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is \u2018sealed up tight\u2019 until such time as Iran is able to make a deal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Wednesday evening, the Senate voted 46-51 against a motion to advance a war powers resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Com\u00admittee. The measure, sponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin, sought to bar the administration from continuing hostilities beyond the timeframe allowed under US law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Iranian tanker seized<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The US Defence Department said its forces boarded the supertanker \u2018The Majestic\u2019 on Thursday, which was last reported off the coast of Sri Lanka carrying 2 million barrels of crude. The Pentagon announced on X that US forces had \u201ccarried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M\/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>US Central Command (Centcom) has redirected 33 vessels since the imposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The US blockade has not halted Iran\u2019s own use of the strait, according to data analytics firm Vortexa, which said about 10.7 million barrels of Iranian crude exports had left the area blockaded by the US Navy between April 13 and 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The firm said it recorded 34 movements of sanctioned and Iranian-linked tankers in and out of the Persian Gulf in the week amid the US blockade. The firm said it identified 19 outbound and 15 inbound movements of such vessels between April 13 and April 20. Six of those outbound movements were \u201cconfirmed laden with Iranian crude, representing about 10.7 million barrels\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hormuz proceeds for Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, Iran banked the first proceeds from the tolls it is exacting on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior official said. Iran\u2019s deputy speaker Hamidreza Hajibabaei said Iran received its first revenue from tolls it is imposing on ships seeking to cross Hormuz. \u201cThe first revenue received from the Hormuz tolls was deposited into the Central Bank account,\u201d said deputy speaker Hamidreza Hajibabaei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iran also flaunted its tightened grip over the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday with video of its commandos storming a huge cargo ship. State television broadcast footage overnight of masked troops pulling up in a grey speedboat alongside the MSC Francesca, climbing a rope ladder to a shell door in the hull and jumping through brandishing rifles. The footage also included views of another ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Navy secretary fired<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the latest wartime shakeup at the Pentagon, John Phelan, a financier appointed by Trump as the navy secretary, was ousted late on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two sources told&nbsp;<em>Reuters<\/em>&nbsp;he had been fired over disagreements around shipbuilding and bad relations with officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Navy has not provided a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phelan is the latest high-ranking military leader to leave the administration in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve on an acting basis in the role, which is largely administrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It comes just weeks after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Randy George to step down from his post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two other Army officials, Gen David Hodne and Maj Gen William Green, have also been removed from their roles recently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON(National Times)- Bac\u00adked by Republican allies in Congress, President Don\u00adald Trump on Thursday\u00a0ordered\u00a0the US Navy to target and destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as US forces boarded a vessel transporting oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean. In subsequent remarks, he also ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WASHINGTON(National Times)- Bac\u00adked by Republican allies in Congress, President Don\u00adald Trump on Thursday\u00a0ordered\u00a0the US Navy to target and destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as US forces boarded a vessel transporting oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean. In subsequent remarks, he also ruled out the use of nuclear weapons against [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T05:54:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T05:54:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-670x370-50-10.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"670\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"370\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"humza Jahangir\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"humza Jahangir\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/\",\"name\":\"Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle - Nation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-670x370-50-10.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-24T05:54:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-24T05:54:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/27efa35fa76e99f3ad7e7397d7332c16\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-670x370-50-10.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-670x370-50-10.png\",\"width\":670,\"height\":370},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/\",\"name\":\"Nation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/27efa35fa76e99f3ad7e7397d7332c16\",\"name\":\"humza Jahangir\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/43feedd99bd6a90080d1621b7e6604364acb673ee979d3ffe5075557c14c68b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/43feedd99bd6a90080d1621b7e6604364acb673ee979d3ffe5075557c14c68b9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"humza Jahangir\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/author\/humza\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle - Nation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/124681\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump rules out N-option amid Hormuz struggle - Nation","og_description":"WASHINGTON(National Times)- Bac\u00adked by Republican allies in Congress, President Don\u00adald Trump on Thursday\u00a0ordered\u00a0the US Navy to target and destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as US forces boarded a vessel transporting oil from Iran in the Indian Ocean. 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