Trump Shifts to Economic Pressure, Again, As Iran Won’t Meet His Demands
- Over the weekend, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, issued a list of "demands" for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump countered two days later by expanding his reparations bill to include conflicts in Gaza and Syria.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. "Economic Fury" campaign is buckling Iran's shadow-banking network, while Central Command continues enforcing a naval blockade that the Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimates costs Iran $435 million daily.
- Brent crude remains well above prewar levels at $126 a barrel, while Iran faces its sharpest economic contraction in four decades as Tehran's financial lifeline faces continued pressure from sanctions and shadow-banking crackdowns.
- Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, described contact with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei as "increasing day by day" in July but later called communication "very difficult." Khamenei has not appeared in public since the strike that opened the war.
- Analysts note Washington's midterm politics may be compressing its patience faster than sanctions compress Iran's economy. With gasoline prices elevated, the administration continues choosing policies that play well at home rather than moves likely to move Tehran.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Donald Trump Is Going Maximum Pressure on Iran. But It Won’t Break Tehran
More economic pressure by itself is unlikely to break Iranian resistance, because whether Iran can be made to fold turns less on how much additional pain Washington can inflict than on whether Washington can name a number, stop moving it, and outlast its own political clock in the meantime.
Editorial: In the face of Iranian 'demands,' tighten the squeeze
President Donald Trump’s chief negotiating strategy consists of keeping the other party guessing about what he might do next. As this pertains to Iran, the president has repeatedly threatened Tehran with additional military action only to back ...
Trump asserted that the Iranians agree in meeting rooms, then renege on those agreements through the media, describing them as highly cunning and dishonest negotiators.
U.S. President Trump warned that he would strengthen economic sanctions against Iran while simultaneously taking military action if necessary. As Iran stands in conflict with the U.S. by placing strategic priority on controlling the Strait of Hormuz over its nuclear program, the possibility of an agreement between the two countries remains uncertain.
Trump weighs economic pressure, military escalation as Iran talks continue
President Trump described Iran as devious negotiators in a recent interview. He outlined two strategies for dealing with the ongoing conflict. One approach involves economic pressure, allowing Iran to fail. Alternatively, he suggested hitting Iran very hard with military action. Trump also addressed concerns about munitions, blaming his predecessor for low stockpiles.
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