SAEDNEWS: According to The Atlantic, Donald Trump has shifted away from major military action and high-level diplomacy after failing to end the war with Iran. Washington is now relying more heavily on sanctions, economic pressure and a maritime blockade in the hope that time will push Tehran toward negotiations.
According to SaedNews: Donald Trump has adopted a different approach toward the war with Iran after limited military strikes, severe threats and diplomatic efforts failed to bring the conflict to an end, The Atlantic reports. Rather than launching another major attack, the Trump administration is increasingly counting on economic pressure and a naval blockade to force Tehran toward negotiations.
The Atlantic says Trump’s limited strikes, threats to destroy Iran and diplomatic initiatives have failed to end the war. The White House is therefore hoping that economic pressure can achieve what military force could not.
Trump’s advisers have presented him with figures showing the impact of sanctions on Iran’s economy and persuaded him that tougher restrictions could force Tehran to retreat. Trump has recently claimed that Iran is “completely bankrupt.”
At the beginning of the war, Trump expected the conflict to last no more than a few weeks and believed Iran would not close the Strait of Hormuz. Both assumptions proved wrong. The Atlantic also says that even U.S. intelligence expectations of a rapid economic collapse in Iran did not materialize, with Tehran apparently prepared to endure severe economic pressure to preserve its power.
A shortage of weapons has further narrowed Trump’s choices. American officials are not confident that, if a large new offensive began, they could adequately protect U.S. bases and regional allies from an Iranian response. Last month, an Iranian missile also managed to penetrate defensive systems and strike a location housing U.S. forces in Jordan.
For now, The Atlantic says Trump has chosen to use time as a weapon: avoid launching another broad offensive, do not make negotiations the main priority, and instead increase sanctions while maintaining the maritime blockade of Iranian ports. The objective is to keep pressure on Tehran’s economy. The report describes this approach as a result of Trump’s shrinking military and diplomatic options, rather than evidence that either strategy has succeeded.
The Atlantic portrays Trump’s latest approach not as a victory, but as evidence that Washington’s available options have become more limited. After military attacks and negotiations failed to end the conflict, the United States has turned increasingly toward economic pressure and a maritime blockade.
