US President Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for an extended blockade of Iranian ports, sources say, which he considers the best way to force Iran back to the negotiating table.
The president, for now, is digging into a strategy designed to inflict as much economic pain on Iran as possible in the hopes of forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table without having to resume military strikes, the sources said.
But the strategy for dealing with a war that has now stretched into its ninth week is not without risk for Trump, who once predicted the conflict would last no longer than six weeks.
The strait’s closure has driven up gas prices, contributing to Americans’ weariness of the ongoing war and sending Trump’s approval ratings, especially on his handling of the economy, to new lows. And the cost of the conflict is adding up — a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers Wednesday the US has spent $25 billion on the Iran war so far. All of that is feeding GOP anxiety about the party’s prospects in November elections.
Nor is it clear this strategy will work — Iran has previously demonstrated an ability to withstand debilitating economic pain without capitulating to American demands.
Still, Trump appears intent on tightening the grip on Iran’s economy until Tehran concedes to his red lines on nuclear enrichment, believing, in his words, the US holds “all the cards.”
“The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told Axios in a phone interview Wednesday.
