‘Ceasefire continues, so does economic pressure on Iran’, says White House press secretary

Posted on by Taiwo Adebulu
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

3 min readNew DelhiApr 23, 2026 10:44 AM IST

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The White House, in a statement on Thursday, stated that US President Donald Trump has not set a fixed deadline for ending the current ceasefire with Iran, even as the US intensifies economic pressure on Iran.

While speaking to reporters, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the truce, which is limited to a halt in direct military and kinetic strikes, was extended on Wednesday. She said the extension would remain in place until Iran submits what the US considers a “unified proposal” in ongoing negotiations.

However, Leavitt said that the pause in military action does not signal a broader de-escalation. The United States, she said, is continuing its naval blockade of Iranian ports as part of a wider economic strategy.

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“There’s a ceasefire with the military and kinetic strikes, but Operation Economic Fury continues and… we are completely strangling their economy through this blockade. They’re losing $500M/day… He’s satisfied with that as we await their response,” She said.

Leavitt also urged caution in interpreting statements from Iranian officials, suggesting a disconnect between Iran’s public messaging and its private negotiations with Washington. “What they say publicly is much different than what they concede to the US and our negotiating team privately,” she noted.

In a separate post on X, Leavitt criticised sections of the media, accusing them of amplifying narratives favourable to the Iranian government.

She further claimed under President Trump’s leadership, the US military decimated the Iranian regime’s capabilities in just 38 days: Iran’s defense industrial base was almost completely destroyed.

Leavitt also asserted that Iran’s naval forces had suffered heavy losses, with more than 150 vessels sunk and described the country’s air force as “functionally and operationally irrelevant.”

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