US President Donald Trump has ordered negotiators to cut off talks with Iran indefinitely, halting “positive discussions” with the Islamic Republic, CNN reported Wednesday, citing US officials.

Trump claimed as much on Tuesday, writing on his Truth Social platform: “There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He also shared an image on social media showing the Strait of Hormuz as a “new US territory,” pressing his threat to claim sovereignty over the vital waterway.

The comments came a day after his son-in-law Jared Kushner, a senior member of the negotiating team, spoke of “robust” conversations between the US and Iran, while acknowledging that Tehran wasn’t yet ready to make a deal that is satisfactory to Washington.

According to the CNN report, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Iran’s unwillingness to meet his demands, and has thus decided to shift strategies, cutting off engagement until Tehran shows it is willing to make a deal to his liking.

In talks with allies, administration officials described the shift as going from “’hammer Iran ASAP’ to ‘strangle them’ over time,” CNN reported, noting that the White House believes economic pressure will eventually lead Iran to fold on the Strait of Hormuz and other key issues.

As such, officials cited in the report expect the US to place “crushing” new sanctions on Iran, which it said could come as early as this week. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also said that he is prepared to enforce the naval blockade on Iran’s ports “indefinitely,” as the US appears to gear up for a long-term pressure campaign in lieu of progress in negotiations.

According to the report, Trump envisions the Strait of Hormuz being managed as it was before the war began, meaning free passage of ships with no tolls or fees paid to Iran or any other parties. However, an emerging framework between Iran and Oman would see service fees or other costs charged to shipping companies who look to transit the Strait, which has sparked ire from Trump, who even threatened to bomb Oman for its involvement in the talks.

Iran has effectively shut down the chokepoint, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits, in retaliation for the war Trump started along with Israel in late February over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran says it will not reopen the strait until Washington meets a sweeping list of demands including ending the US blockade of Iran’s ports, lifting oil sanctions, freeing up frozen Iranian assets and paying war damages.

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