Trump is ready to make use of ‘overwhelming navy power in opposition to Iran’ if regime doesn’t meet deadline to reopen Strait of Hormuz, prime ally warns
Trump is preparing to unleash ‘overwhelming military force’ against Iran if it fails to meet a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key ally has warned.
Lindsey Graham said he is ‘completely convinced’ the US president would take decisive action if Tehran continues to block the vital oil shipping route and refuses a diplomatic deal.
In a post on X after speaking directly with Donald Trump, the Republican senator said a ‘massive military operation’ was on the table unless Iran ‘chooses wisely’.
He backed Trump’s ultimatum to the Iranian regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to what he described as a peace deal, warning the consequences of defiance would be severe.
Graham claimed Iran had already been ‘severely crippled’ by what he called Operation Epic Fury, adding the regime’s ‘reign of terror’ in the region should be brought to an end, preferably through diplomacy.
But he made clear Washington is prepared to act if talks fail, saying he had no doubt Trump ‘means what he says’ and would use overwhelming force if Iran continues to impede the strategic waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical chokepoints, with roughly a fifth of global oil supplies passing through it each day, meaning any escalation could send shockwaves through energy markets and beyond.
It comes after earlier today Trump issued an ominous but misspelled threat to Iran over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump is preparing to unleash ‘overwhelming military force’ against Iran if it fails to meet a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key ally has warned
Pictured: Israeli strike on building in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 31, 2026
In a post on X after speaking directly with Donald Trump , the Republican senator said a ‘massive military operation’ was on the table unless Iran ‘chooses wisely’
‘Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to GOD!’, the President wrote on his Truth Social website Saturday morning.
His post, which appeared to confuse ‘reign’ with ‘rain’, came as tensions mount over the vital shipping channel at the centre of the global oil trade.
Trump initially set a deadline to reopen the narrow waterway for late March, before extending it to April 6 at 8pm ET after Iran requested more time.
If the deadline lapses, Trump has said he is willing to resume bombing Iran’s energy infrastructure.
The warning was echoed by Graham, a close Trump ally, who said he backed the president’s ultimatum after speaking to him directly.
‘I just had a great conversation with @POTUS,’ Graham wrote on X.
‘I totally support his ultimatum to the Iranian regime to open up the Strait of Hormuz and to do a peace deal.
‘A massive military operation awaits Iran if they choose poorly. This regime has been severely crippled through Operation Epic Fury.’
Trump’s latest threat comes after he posted on Friday that if given more time, ‘we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.’
Graham has long been one of Washington’s most hawkish voices on Iran and has spent years pushing for tougher action against the regime.
The South Carolina senator has previously suggested that toppling Tehran’s leadership could hand Trump a historic foreign policy moment, and has repeatedly urged a more aggressive US stance in the region.
Critics say his influence over the president, combined with his willingness to back military intervention, makes him one of the most hardline figures shaping US policy on Iran.
Graham, a former US Air Force reserve colonel and military lawyer, was openly hostile towards Tehran long before Trump entered politics, backing efforts in the 1990s to isolate the regime and curb its nuclear and missile ambitions.
Since the war in Iran broke out on February 28, the Strait has become a key point of contention, with around 20 percent of the world’s oil supply transported through it.
Iran has asserted control over the route, implementing a blockade on nations that support the American-Israeli war effort.
So far, access has been granted to ships from countries Tehran considers ‘friendly’, including China, Russia, India, Iraq and Pakistan.
On Friday, a French vessel became the first ship from a Western nation to be allowed to pass through the Strait after days of heightened tension.
