India, April 20 -- The United States is pursuing a strategy designed to push Iran towards "capitulation," former US national security official Robert Harward has said, pointing to a coordinated military and economic campaign he claims is already straining Tehran.

Harward told Fox News that US forces intercepted an Iranian vessel attempting to break the blockade. "There was an Iranian ship that came through today and tried to break the blockade, which the US intercepted," Harward said. "So ships can move, some of it's by choice, and some of it's based on the threat."

The remarks come as tensions remain high on the Strait of Hormuz. After a brief reopening, a US naval blockade led Iran to shut the vital route again, with reports of forces...