President Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ approach to Iran is producing results that years of diplomatic coddling never could. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz have made significant progress, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting a deal could be finalized as early as Wednesday. ‘There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet,’ Rubio told reporters at the State Department. ‘We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.’
The breakthrough comes after Trump issued stark warnings to Tehran, including a threat of ‘decapitation’ strikes against Iranian leadership if they continued obstructing the vital waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. That kind of unambiguous language has a way of focusing minds in foreign capitals. The immediate focus is securing safe commercial passage through Hormuz, with Rubio confirming that U.S. negotiators are working through Oman to reach an understanding with Iran. But the larger prize is what Rubio calls ‘the ultimate deal’ — the complete denuclearization of Iran’s rogue nuclear program.
Bessent was even more optimistic, telling CNBC that an agreement providing ‘freedom of movement’ through the strait could come within twenty-four hours. He rejected any scenario where Iran would charge commercial vessels for passage, calling such a notion a non-starter. What changed? For months, Iran played games with Hormuz, using the threat of closure as leverage while its economy crumbled under sanctions. The regime calculated that Western resolve would eventually crack, that the Biden-era approach of patience and accommodation would return. They miscalculated.
Trump’s willingness to escalate — to make clear that blocking Hormuz would trigger consequences far more severe than anything Iran could inflict — appears to have broken the diplomatic logjam. Does this mean the Iranian regime has suddenly become trustworthy? Hardly. Tehran has a long history of negotiating in bad faith, signing agreements only to cheat on them later. Any deal on Hormuz will need robust verification mechanisms and a credible threat of military response if Iran reneges. But the principle matters. When America leads with strength and clarity, adversaries adjust their calculations. When we project weakness and confusion, they push further.
The Obama-Biden approach of endless negotiations and pallets of cash produced nothing but emboldened Iranian aggression. Trump’s approach — clear red lines, credible threats, and a willingness to walk away — is showing early signs of success. The coming days will test whether this progress is real or another Iranian stalling tactic. But for now, the Strait of Hormuz is open, oil is flowing, and Iran appears to have gotten the message. That’s more than the foreign policy establishment accomplished in two decades of engagement.
Providence watches over the bold.
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