In the coming days, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, will return to the United States, along with 4,500 personnel, for repairs after being deployed to the Middle East for 10 months, according to The Washington Post.

The aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush will remain in the Arabian Sea, continuing to enforce the blockade, but the firepower of the Navy will be diminished somewhat.

President Donald Trump stressed to reporters at the White House that he would not make a deal with Iran that does not include the regime giving up nuclear weapons.

“We are having talks now. The negotiations are by phone, instead of flying 18 hours each time,” Trump said. “Iran has come a long way, but the question is whether it will go far enough.”

The statement comes shortly after Trump took calls from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Vladimir Putin. The Israelis assess that Trump will keep the blockade in place until Iran caves, which they believe will happen.

Indeed, Trump expressed his appreciation for the blockade.

“The blockade is genius,” he said. “It is 100% foolproof, and it shows how good our navy is. Militarily, we wiped out Iran. They have no military left, their Navy is at the bottom of the sea, and their air force will never fly again.”

Putin presented several options to Trump to resolve the crisis, but the Russians warned that escalating the conflict in the Middle East would harm countries in the region without providing any benefit.