Fox’s Griffin Reports Trump’s Blockade Is Extending Into the Pacific, Could Collapse Iran’s Economy ‘Rather Quickly’

Fox News’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin joined Fox & Friends on Thursday morning to discuss the latest updates from the war in Iran, following a press briefing from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“Jennifer, we’re in the pause, but it looks like the military has not stopped,” began co-host Brian Kilmeade after introducing Griffin.

“Well, that’s right. In fact, what we just heard, Brian, is that they are in the process of rearming, and that ceasefire ends on Tuesday, April 21st, unless it is — unless the two-week ceasefire is extended,” Griffin replied, adding:

I think the most interesting thing that we learned from the press conference is that they are taking this blockade, and we learned from General Kaine that they had turned back 13 vessels — ships that were heading to Iranian ports or were Iranian vessels of some sort.

Those 13 ships had turned back because of the blockade. They have not had to board any of the vessels, but we also learned that they’re extending this blockade, really in terms of going after any Iranian ships, out to the Pacific. And so Admiral Paparo out at Indo-PACOM will be chasing down some of that shadow fleet — oil tankers that are not flagged but are in fact trying to help Iran skirt sanctions — and they’re going to be going after those ships aggressively in the Pacific. That is something new that we have not heard before.

You mentioned Admiral Cooper and his second trip to the region. He has been down at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa sort of quarterbacking this whole effort for the last month or six weeks or so, and so it would not be normal for the CENTCOM commander to be over in the Middle East. Tampa is set up to be the kind of headquarters to bring all of the efforts — air, sea, and army — together. I think what is interesting is it’s the first time that Admiral Cooper has been up to the Pentagon since the war started.

Not a lot of details about what comes next, but I think the secretary spent most of the time addressing the Iranian leadership. It’s clear that intensive negotiations are going on right now, or talks about talks. The concern, I think, here in Washington is that the Iranians will just try to play for time, and I think the message today is that the U.S. military is rearming and will be ready if the ceasefire falls apart. Brian.

“Jennifer, can you put into perspective, though, as it relates to those ships that they turned around — and they’re waiting for them — how much of an impact Iran not getting those ships, the financial impact that it’s going to have on the Iranian regime?” followed up Lawrence Jones.

“Well, it’s a good question, Lawrence. I think from what we’ve been talking to experts, it is going to have a very significant effect. In fact, the Iranian economy is really on the verge of collapse,” Griffin replied, adding:

And if you take away the shipping, the oil tankers — there were nine oil tankers, I think, that were turned back — those oil tankers are normally leaving Kharg Island and that area on a daily basis, and that’s how they make their money. We spoke to one expert who said that if this goes on two weeks longer, the oil capacity — if they can’t get the oil out of those ports, we saw this in Venezuela — if they can’t get it out of the ports, they’ll have to turn off their oil pipeline, and that backs up the whole system, and then you’re really going to see the economic collapse come rather quickly. So I think the next two weeks are rather crucial for the Iranian economy as well as their oil supply.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.

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