Washington, April 30 -- US President Donald Trump met oil company and trading house executives at the White House on Tuesday to discuss sustaining the naval blockade of Iranian ports for an extended period, as Brent crude climbed to $119 a barrel on Wednesday and US military commanders separately prepared a strike plan to increase pressure on Tehran. The spike in oil prices came after Trump told news outlet Axios on Wednesday he would not lift the blockade until Iran agreed to a nuclear deal - "they are choking like a stuffed pig and it is going to be worse for them." Later, the US president stated that the two sides are talking on the phone and that "Iran has come a long way, the question is whether they will go far enough... Now, Iran just has to say we give up". The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported he had reached that conclusion at a Monday Situation Room meeting, where he weighed resuming bombing or walking away and judged both riskier than continuing to squeeze Tehran's oil revenues - a high-stakes bid for a nuclear capitulation Iran has long refused. Brent oil rose to its highest since June 2022, gaining more than 7% on the day. Prices have now erased all losses since the US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire, with investors bracing for a longer conflict. Tuesday's meeting, described by a White House official, included representatives of Chevron Corp. as well as trading houses Trafigura Group, Vitol Group and Mercuria Energy Group Ltd....