On April 15, 2026, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller appeared on Fox News' Hannity and declared that the United States has the capacity to continue its naval blockade of Iran “indefinitely, if Iran chooses the wrong path.” He described the blockade as “the total resetting of the American power dynamic for the next 100 years.”
Miller also threatened Iran's energy infrastructure: “A military operation could wipe out their energy infrastructure for generations.” While framing all of this as Trump being a “man of peace” who “wants peace” and “wants stability.”
The hypocrisy is staggering. Miller's pre-election posts have resurfaced and gone viral. On November 1, 2024: “Liz Cheney is Kamala's top advisor. Liz wants to invade the whole Middle East. Kamala = WWIII. Trump = Peace.” On October 21, 2024: “KAMALA WILL SEND YOUR SONS TO WAR.” Trump launched war with Iran on February 28, 2026.
The “indefinite” and “100-year” framing directly contradicts Trump's campaign promise to end “forever wars.” Only 24% of Americans say the war has been worth the cost (Ipsos, April 10-12). Among Trump's own voters, 53% opposed U.S. involvement in Iran before the conflict began. Over 50,000 U.S. troops are deployed to the Middle East.
Separately, a Memphis ABC video clip went viral showing Miller turning his head and taking a deep, exasperated breath as Trump scrambled to justify the war at a roundtable event — interpreted widely as Miller's own private doubts leaking through.