Trump To Make Shocking Announcement On Thursday?

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will deliver a primetime address to the nation on Thursday night as tensions with Iran continue to rise around the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said the speech is scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT Thursday and made the announcement in a post on Truth Social. He did not provide details about the topic of the address, but the announcement comes amid growing concerns that the conflict with Iran is intensifying rather than moving toward a negotiated resolution.

Earlier Monday, Trump said the United States would reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz and that the U.S. would act as the waterway’s “guardian.” His comments followed reports of additional military strikes involving both the United States and Iran over the weekend.

Trump said other nations would continue to have open access to the strait while the United States helps secure the route. He also said the U.S. should be compensated for providing security in one of the world’s most important shipping corridors, suggesting that a 20% reimbursement on cargo moving through the strait would be fair.

U.S. Central Command later announced that the blockade would take effect July 14 at 4 p.m. EDT.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces carried out a new round of offensive strikes against Iran on Sunday, targeting dozens of sites. The operation marked another escalation in a conflict that had appeared to be headed toward negotiations after a memorandum of understanding was reached last month.

Iran condemned the U.S. actions, describing them as illegal interference in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials said they would not allow what they called a rogue military force to control the strategic waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global shipping route through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes, making any disruption there a major concern for international energy markets and global trade.