Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Iran Thursday to “choose wisely” on a peace deal or face bombs on its power grid. Hours earlier, Gulf and European officials said the whole thing may take six months.

That gap between Pentagon ultimatums and diplomatic reality is now the single biggest variable for oil traders.

The Pentagon Keeps The Pressure On

Hegseth, flanked by General Dan Caine and CENTCOM’s Admiral Brad Cooper, said the blockade of Iranian ports will continue “as long as it takes.” He added that the US Navy is running the Strait of Hormuz chokehold using “just 10% of US naval capacity,” and warned Tehran that if it “chooses poorly,” bombs will hit infrastructure, power and energy.

Brent crude steadied above $94 per barrel Thursday after briefly touching triple digits earlier in the week when the blockade took effect.

Bloomberg reported Thursday that some Gulf Arab and European leaders believe a US-Iran deal will take roughly six months, and want the current …

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