“I don’t mean to be the party pooper, but look, this is not going to be helpful if we’re not going to be honest with each other,” he said on an opening panel, urging the crowd to reckon with a marked downturn in support for the Jewish state over its war in Gaza, particularly among younger voters. “Israel is extremely unpopular.”

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Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told JI in a recent interview that he disagreed with Emanuel, even as he acknowledged the sentiment as a “legitimate view.” Still, he added that it is “in the U.S. interest” to continue providing military aid to Israel, “which anyway all goes to buying U.S. weaponry.”

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 Read the full article at Jewish Insider.

The post How Rahm Emanuel Is Recalibrating on Israel Ahead of 2028 appeared first on JINSA.

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Retired US Army Lieutenant Gen. Karen Gibson, speaking on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” called the first day of Project Freedom a “tactical success,” but said it must be measured against that pre-war flow of 120 vessels a day.

Iran just needs to continue to present a perception of risk to keep merchant traffic to small numbers, she said, essentially keeping Hormuz all but closed.

 Read the full article on CNN.

The post First Day of Project Freedom a “Tactical Success,” Analyst Says, but Can It Scale Up? appeared first on JINSA.

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Michael Makovsky, the president and CEO of the hawkish Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said, “Given the recent anti-Israel statements and actions of possible Democratic presidential candidates, even historically pro-Israel ones such as Rahm” Emanuel “and centrist former officials like Jake Sullivan, it will be interesting to see if the big tent the organization says it’s seeking will include real pro-Israel voices.”

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 Read the full article at Jewish Insider.

The post Direction of Dem Policy Group Raises Red Flags After Hiring of New Leader With History of Anti-Israel Activism appeared first on JINSA.

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Jonathan Ruhe, Fellow for American Strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), also said that Project Freedom won’t alleviate concerns from commercial shippers immediately, claiming that they are “risk averse” because even a single mine or drone strike could lead to crew casualties and take ships offline for months — even if the ship isn’t sunk. 

“This puts a heavy burden of proof on the U.S. to show that the Strait is safe to transit, but that hasn’t happened yet,” Ruhe said. “The U.S. hasn’t made clear how it plans to reopen the Strait, which gives Iran plenty of leeway to keep deterring any shippers who might think of risking the transit.”

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Ruhe said that the Iranian regime has incentive to fight because it has “staked so much on controlling the Strait,” and therefore “can’t afford to let the U.S. cross this redline unhindered.” 

“Unlike the U.S. blockade, which operates beyond the range of Iran’s anti-ship capabilities, this new operation puts US forces right up against the IRGC Navy,” Ruhe said. “Though it’s been hit hard, the IRGC Navy is built for exactly this kind of fight, and it retains enough fast attack craft, naval mines, missiles and drones, and tactical air defenses to credibly threaten U.S. forces.”

Read the full article in Breaking Defense.

The post Project Freedom Unlikely to Pay Off Right Away, Analysts Say appeared first on JINSA.

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A new report presents a detailed picture of the naval blockade: According to the data, since April 13, only 17 vessels that met the criteria have managed to cross the blockade line, while at least 45 relevant vessels have been stopped – 44 were diverted from their course and one more was captured. This means that most attempts to break the siege actually failed. The data also shows that about a quarter of the ships that crossed the line did so on the first day, and since then there has been a significant decrease in the number of intrusions.

One of the key findings of the report, conducted by the JINSA research institute, regards the type of vessels that managed to pass through. None of the ships that crossed the blockade line were oil or gas tankers, meaning they were not the vessels that generate the bulk of the Iranian regime’s revenue. All of the vessels that passed through were general cargo ships, some of them relatively small.

This means the blockade is successfully hitting Iran’s central weak point: its ability to export energy. According to intelligence estimates presented in the report, Iranian oil exports have already decreased by about 80 percent since the beginning of the move – a figure that illustrates the blockade’s direct economic impact.

The report emphasizes that the success of the blockade cannot be assessed solely by the number of ships stopped or passed. A significant part of the impact comes from deterrence: many players in the shipping and energy markets avoid cooperating with Iran in advance, due to the risk of being caught or affected by sanctions.

The result is a broader damage to Iran’s economic activity, even beyond what can be seen in the maritime traffic data. The naval blockade is only part of a broader campaign that the United States is waging against Iran, which also includes sanctions against financial networks, shipping companies, and refineries related to Iranian trade.

In addition, these measures raise the price for anyone who chooses to act against Tehran and create cumulative economic pressure. According to the report, the impact of the move is already being felt on the ground: Iran is having difficulty storing the oil it cannot export, is being forced to reduce production, and is dealing with an increasing load on its storage facilities.

In parallel with strengthening the team and economic pressure, President Trump is holding to a tough negotiating position. The president said that he is not satisfied with the Iranian proposal to resume talks, and made it clear that if the talks fail, the United States will act forcefully.

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Read the full article in Walla News.

The post The Naval Blockade is Already Working appeared first on JINSA.

JINSA: U.S. Blockade More Effective Than Widely Reported

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has been more effective than reported, according to a new report released today by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. 

Click Here to Read the Report

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www.jinsa.org

The post PRESS RELEASE: U.S. Blockade More Effective Than Widely Reported appeared first on JINSA.

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Former Israeli national security adviser and JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror argues the blockade should not be judged by whether it forces immediate capitulation, but by whether Washington has the patience to let time erode Iran’s strength.

“Blockade is one of the oldest forms of warfare,” Amidror said. “Blockade equals time.”

In his view, the strategy’s advantage is precisely that it imposes relatively low costs on the United States while gradually exhausting Iran’s economy.

“The siege does its work. It weakens Iran,” he said, describing it as one of the cheapest long-term methods of pressure available.

Amidror also pushed back forcefully against claims that modern enforcement is unrealistic.

“I don’t buy the idea that the U.S. Navy in the 21st century can’t monitor the 35 kilometers of blockade,” he said, arguing that American surveillance, satellites and naval assets are more than capable of controlling the choke point over time.

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That leaves the administration facing a strategic endurance contest: Can economic warfare degrade Iran faster than the regime can adapt, repress and weaponize global pain?

Amidror argues time itself may be Washington’s greatest weapon.

 Read the full article on Fox News.

The post Trump’s ‘Economic Fury’ Squeezes Iran — But Can Tehran Outlast the Pressure? appeared first on JINSA.

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Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former Israeli national security advisor, told Fox News Digital that Washington and Jerusalem are now seriously preparing for two possible paths: a prolonged blockade designed to economically exhaust Iran, or renewed military action.

“Israel and the United States are seriously preparing for two real options, and the decision, when it comes, could be made very quickly,” Amidror said. “One is to continue the siege, a blockade that can slowly exhaust Iran. The other is war.”

Amidror, who is currently a distinguished fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said the extensive U.S. logistical buildup suggests Washington is preparing for either path.

“The Americans are building logistics, moving forces, and preparing very seriously,” he said. “At some point, they may feel they are so ready that leadership says, ‘We are prepared, let’s go.’”

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 Read the full article on Fox News.

The post Israel Defense Chief Warns Strikes on Iran Could Resume Soon, Signals Campaign Not Over appeared first on JINSA.

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Nevertheless, Trump may reach that stage at some point.

There are additional options, former CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie Jr. told the Post in an interview on April 9.

“Maybe we don’t need to put people on the shore and do not need to occupy” the Straits, he said. “We can just make it impossible on those islands” for Iran to operate.

The US could “control those islands by fire,” McKenzie said. “If the Iranians show up on the island, we kill them. We do intrusive overhead monitoring or carry out temporary raids. We go onto the land to destroy a missile launch site” or other threat, but then leave, and American troops would be less vulnerable to ambushes, compared with leaving a stagnant occupying force in place.

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 Read the full article at the Jerusalem Post.

The post Trump More Likely To Continue Game of Chicken With Iran Than To Attack appeared first on JINSA.

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There are no signs that the U.S. or Iran will budge on their blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, NPR’s Greg Myre tells Up First. Shipping traffic through the waterway remains at a standstill, and both sides say they are inflicting economic pain. Both sides also believe the other will give in first, Myre adds.

Retired Navy Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan says the U.S. could keep the blockade in place indefinitely. Iran also believes it can maintain the blockade by using a mix of mines at sea and drones and missiles from the shore. Donegan tells Myre that the U.S. could clear Iran’s mines, but it would take time to do so and to further weaken Iran’s forces on land. Myre says a negotiated agreement would be the safest way to reopen the Strait, but those talks are currently stalled.

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 Listen to the full podcast episode on NPR.

The post Iran War Has Cost $25B, Pentagon Says appeared first on JINSA.