Six Months Into the Iran War, Is Trump’s Economic Pressure Campaign Yielding Dividends?
As the conflict between the United States and Iran passes the six month mark, former White House officials and regional analysts remain divided over whether Washington’s economic campaign and naval blockade are meaningfully changing the strategic landscape.
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Jonathan Ruhe, Fellow for American Strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, argued it is still unclear whether either side has the edge six months into the conflict, but suggested that Iran “more likely” retains an advantage.
“At best, the verdict is still out on whether the U.S. has regained meaningful leverage over Iran,” Ruhe said. “More likely though, Iran retains the initiative and escalation dominance over the U.S. and its partners.”
Ruhe suggested Tehran views Washington’s shift toward sanctions as a sign that the U.S. has expended its military options.
“Economic pain is a small price to pay, especially because Iran’s regime thinks the latest sanctions regime is shot full of holes, and because it clearly doesn’t care if its own people suffer in the process,” Ruhe said. “If anything, the sanctions-first approach will merely embolden Tehran to step up its military threats to shipping, U.S. bases, and our Gulf partners.”
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Read the full piece in Jewish Insider.