Iran war: Trump tries economic pressure — again

Iran has survived harsh U.S. sanctions since 1979. It is betting it can endure even more. In the 47 years since the Islamic Revolution, the United States has taken step after step to isolate the country with only a brief reprieve after the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which President Trump excoriated and abandoned in 2018. Mr. Trump promised “maximum pressure” then, and now, with limited military options, threatens even more. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned last week of “never before seen” measures — perhaps, analysts suggest, secondary sanctions on countries like China that buy Iranian oil, or further penalties on financial transactions. Iran is more likely to step up attacks on American allies in the Persian Gulf than to surrender its hold on the Strait of Hormuz, analysts said. “Iran’s economy is in serious trouble, but it is not collapsing,” said Danny Citrinowicz, an Israeli expert on Iran. “More importantly, the regime is likely to escalate before it capitulates.” U.S. and international sanctions and economic pressure did help lead to the 2015 nuclear deal, when the supreme leader then, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, authorized negotiations to limit Iran’s nuclear program in return for frozen assets and sanction relief. Since Mr. Trump withdrew from the deal and imposed more sanctions, Iran has adjusted to a high level of economic disruption, developing sophisticated smuggling routes and new markets, particularly for oil. For now, Iran insists on maintaining effective control of the strait while the American Navy continues to blockade it. A few ships are slipping through, but traffic is down more than 90 percent from before the war. Iran’s economy is badly damaged, hurting ordinary people, but its leaders have shown, through brutal crackdowns on protest and dissent, that they are relatively unconcerned with public opinion. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .