Trump says Iran is heading toward ‘collapse,’ hopes Tehran sorts out leadership

President Trump on Tuesday said Iran is in a “state of collapse” as he squeezes the Islamic republic by blockading its ports.

Mr. Trump said the pressure is forcing Iran to consider ways to reopen critical waterways and reach a unified proposal for peace.

“Iran has just informed us that they are in a ’State of Collapse.’ They want us to ’Open the Hormuz Strait,’ as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!),” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Iran has given no outward sign that it will bend to Mr. Trump’s demands. Rather, it has taunted the U.S. side on social media, insisting it has cards to play as the world suffers from oil shortfalls and Americans see higher prices at the pump.

The national average price of a gallon of gas stood at nearly $4.18 on Tuesday, up from $4.11 one day prior and roughly $3 per gallon when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.

The White House said Mr. Trump would stick by his “red lines” in assessing the latest offer from Iran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. drops its blockade, plus postpone discussions about Tehran’s nuclear program.

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SEE ALSO: Oil prices jump again as U.S. and Iran struggle to reach peace deal

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The president told advisers he’s dissatisfied with the offer, according to The New York Times.

Mr. Trump and Israel launched their military operation against Iran because they want Tehran officials to abandon their nuclear ambitions and curtail their support for terror proxies in the Middle East.

The conflict this month shifted from a kinetic war to a battle of economic willpower as both sides cut off the ports and routes.

European and Asian countries are pressing for an end to the war as they experience energy shortfalls.

“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating or, rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told students in Germany on Monday. “An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”