Day 31: Hegseth Says U.S. Will "Negotiate With Bombs"; Trump Tells Allies to "Just Take" Hormuz Oil

Tanker Update: Fire Out, No Spill

Dubai authorities confirmed Tuesday morning that the fire aboard the Kuwaiti oil tanker Al Salmi — struck by an Iranian drone late Monday while anchored at Dubai port — had been fully extinguished. No oil leak was detected. All 24 crew members remained safe and uninjured.

The vessel, capable of carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude worth more than $200 million at current prices, was loaded with oil from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia bound for Qingdao, China. Its hull sustained damage from the strike. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation confirmed the attack and said damage assessment was ongoing.

The attack came hours after President Trump threatened to "obliterate" Iran's energy plants and oil wells unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Crude prices briefly spiked on news of the strike before pulling back following a Wall Street Journal report that Trump had told aides military options were "not his immediate priority."

Hegseth: "We'll Negotiate With Bombs"

In his first Pentagon press briefing in nearly two weeks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that diplomatic talks with Iran were "active" and "gaining strength" — while making clear that military pressure would not ease in the interim.

"We would much prefer to get a deal if Iran was willing to relinquish material they have and ambitions they have, open the strait — that's the goal," Hegseth told reporters. "We don't want to have to do more militarily than we have to. But I didn't mean it flippantly when I said, in the meantime, we'll negotiate with bombs."

Hegseth described the coming days as "decisive," adding: "Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it." He said the U.S. has "more and more options" while Iran has "less" since the war began on February 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

His comments came as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division — the U.S. Army's elite rapid-deployment force — began arriving in the Middle East. The reinforcement would expand Trump's options to include ground forces inside Iranian territory, according to multiple reports, even as back-channel talks continued.

Trump Tells Allies to "Just Take" Fuel from Hormuz

In a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, President Trump directed criticism at U.S. allies who refused to join the military campaign against Iran, suggesting countries like the United Kingdom should have the "courage" to sail to the Strait of Hormuz and "just take" fuel.

"You'll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us," Trump wrote, criticizing nations that "refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran." He added that those countries could buy "jet fuel" from the U.S. if supplies run low.

"Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!" Trump concluded.

The post underscores the growing friction between Washington and European allies over a war that has disrupted global energy supplies since the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows — was effectively closed to routine commercial traffic.

Oil Prices: Record Monthly Surge

Brent crude is on course to close March with a 59% monthly price gain — the largest single-month surge in the history of the oil benchmark. The extraordinary move reflects the full weight of a month-long war shutting down the world's most critical energy chokepoint.

The price shock has begun translating into real economic pain for U.S. households. Rising fuel costs have become a political liability for Trump and his Republican party ahead of November midterm elections, having campaigned on promises to lower energy prices and expand domestic oil and gas production.

The International Monetary Fund warned Monday that the Middle East conflict would lead to higher prices and slower global growth across all major economies. The IMF did not release specific revised growth forecasts but said the impact would be "broad and significant."

The WSJ Leak: Trump Wants Out

Beneath the bellicose rhetoric, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump has privately told aides he is willing to end the war even if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed — and that further military action is "not his immediate priority." The report contributed to oil prices pulling back from their intraday peak after the tanker news.

The disconnect between Trump's public statements — threatening obliteration of Iranian energy infrastructure — and his private posture reflects the administration's fundamental tension: the war has achieved its stated goal of "decimating" Iran's leadership, but the economic fallout from Hormuz remaining closed has grown too large to ignore.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump wants to reach a deal with Tehran before a self-imposed April 6 deadline — an extension of an earlier deadline he had set for Iran to open the strait. The deadline machinery suggests the administration is seeking an off-ramp while maintaining enough leverage to claim a win.

The Military Picture

Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Israel is prepared to continue operations "for weeks to come," adding: "We have the targets for that, the munition for that, the manpower for that." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assault was "definitely beyond the halfway point" in terms of "missions" — though not necessarily in time.

Iran's asymmetric response — drone and missile strikes on Gulf shipping — has continued in parallel with diplomatic overtures. The war began February 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei and has since killed an estimated 1,937 Iranians, at least 19 Israelis, 13 U.S. soldiers, and 25 people in Gulf states, according to Al Jazeera's tracker.

Iran's nationwide internet blackout entered its 31st consecutive day, leaving tens of millions of Iranians cut off from outside information.

What Comes Next

Three dynamics are now converging: accelerating U.S. military buildup in the region (82nd Airborne), active back-channel diplomacy with a hard deadline (April 6), and economic pain from oil prices that has crossed the threshold of domestic political problem for the White House.

That combination — military escalation ladder, diplomatic off-ramp, and economic pressure — is either the architecture of a deal or the precondition for a miscalculation. The next few days, as Hegseth said, will be decisive.