Mark Esper, the U.S. defense secretary in Donald Trump’s first presidential term, told Fox News that he believes the U.S. president is “on the verge” of escalating attacks against the Islamic Republic.

Esper, who led the Pentagon in Trump’s first administration from 2019 to 2020, said it is possible that American forces may not have attacked Iran one night so that they could “shift positions and prepare for something much bigger that looks like the start of a war.”

He added: “This may be a 24- or 48-hour pause. Of course, [Trump] has kept the blockade in place.”

The former U.S. defense minister further said: “I’d like to see him expand that [blockade] to every kind of entry and exit point across the country, whether by air, sea, or land.”

He said: “I strongly believe in an economic blockade in terms of cutting off all sources of income, because if they don’t have income, they can’t rebuild their army, they can’t pursue their nuclear ambitions, and they can’t support their proxy forces.”

Esper also pointed out that Trump may use the threat of an attack as a means to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. h