Trump Eyes Iran War Wind-Down as Oil Sanctions Ease Amid Price Surge

President Trump said Friday his administration is considering "winding down" military efforts against Iran as the conflict enters its fourth week, even as the Israeli military struck targets in Tehran again early Saturday and the U.S. announced a major reversal on Iranian oil sanctions.

The Trump administration is temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil and oil products currently loaded on ships at sea. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move is expected to add roughly 140 million barrels to the global oil market, which consumes approximately 100 million barrels per day. The sanction relief runs through April 19, 2026. Crude oil prices have climbed roughly 45 percent since the war began, with prices now topping $110 per barrel, according to officials.

For Treasure Coast families, the numbers are not abstract. Gasoline prices across Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties have risen in lockstep with global crude markets as the near-total halt of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — the waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas typically moves — chokes global supply. Commercial fishing operators and logistics businesses along the coast, which depend heavily on fuel, face compounding cost pressures as the disruption extends into a second month.

The International Maritime Organization reports more than 3,000 vessels are stranded in the Middle East, effectively turning the Persian Gulf into a holding zone for ships awaiting passage. U.S. Central Command said Saturday that U.S. forces have struck 8,000 Iranian targets since the conflict began. The Pentagon reports Iranian missile and drone attacks have fallen 90 percent from early-war levels, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The military is deploying Apache helicopters and A-10 Warthog aircraft — platforms typically reserved for lower-threat environments — and targeting Iranian fast boats in the Persian Gulf.

Iran separately attempted to strike Diego Garcia, the joint U.S.-U.K. airbase in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Islands, approximately 2,500 miles from Tehran. Britain's Ministry of Defence condemned the attack, calling Iran's actions "a threat to British interests and British allies." The missile strike was unsuccessful.

An additional U.S. Marine force — the USS Boxer group, carrying thousands of Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit — has departed California and is expected to reach the Persian Gulf in approximately three weeks, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The USS Tripoli group, with more than 2,000 Marines, is expected to arrive from Japan shortly.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday that U.S. efforts have degraded Iran's missile capabilities, destroyed its navy, air force and nuclear capability, and protected Israel and Gulf Arab states. He reiterated a call for other nations to assume policing responsibilities over the Strait of Hormuz. No ceasefire timeline has been announced.

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