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Oil affordability becomes top aim
The United States has shifted its Iran-war focus toward keeping oil and gasoline prices low for Americans, with Vice President J.D. Vance telling Fox News, "That is goal number one – keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country."
“"That's goal number one – keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country."”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said new economic punishment to wear down Tehran is imminent, adding that he would subject Iran to economic isolation "like the world has never seen before."
The comments framed the war as centering on control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Vance described as the critical fuel supply conduit that was open before Trump started the war along with Israel in late February.
The Strait of Hormuz is described as effectively closed to shipping, and the article says Iran has "all but shut it down in retaliation" to gain leverage against Trump.
The shift also contrasts with President Donald Trump’s stated reason for the war, which the article says was consistently touted as preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Diplomacy, blockade, and pressure
The article says the United States is maintaining strong economic pressure on Iran by blockading its ports and preventing it from selling oil, while diplomacy is described as on hold.
Trump told Axios, "We are low-keying it," and added, "We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," as the administration digs in.
The Hill reports that Trump is leaning on crippling sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade to force Iranians to the table in hopes of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
William Wechsler, a former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism, said the U.S. going back to war with Iran would have "significant risks" but that another deal along the lines of the memorandum of understanding would be a "disaster."
The Hill also says the first iteration of the U.S. blockade lasted from April 13 to June 18 and "has cost Iran around $4.8 billion in oil revenue," according to an assessment made by the Pentagon.
What’s at stake next
The article says Iran has set a list of conditions for reopening the passageway that the Trump administration is unlikely to accept, including "the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports" and "the end of sanctions."
“"the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports"”
It also lists conditions including "the release of frozen assets" and compensation for wartime damage, while the article says those conditions echo terms of a memorandum of understanding reached in June that collapsed as fighting resumed.
RFE/RL’s Radio Farda describes the war’s toll inside Iran, quoting a woman in Tehran saying, "Ultimately, everything we buy is only essentials, but even then, nothing is affordable," as inflation and purchasing power plunge.
RFE/RL also reports that rights groups have documented "more than 6,000 deaths during the crackdown," after protests at the end of December challenged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The Hill adds that regional experts warned the administration’s strategy might not get what it wants, with Jonathan Ruhe arguing the U.S. is depriving Iran of funds to pay soldiers and keeping the repressive apparatus alive because the administration has "run out of other options" and it marks "an admission of failure".
