U.S. Imposes Naval Blockade on Iran

President Trump may have reached the limits of what he can achieve by bombing targets in Iran—now he’s trying to use economic pressure to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. After a six-week pummeling by U.S. and Israeli forces failed to force Iran to capitulate, and a marathon weekend negotiating session ended without a deal, the United States announced that it would be imposing a naval blockade on Iran. The latest strategy illustrates just how far the war has shifted from Trump’s original—albeit confusing—objectives. The principal American interest today is to walk into the next round of talks with a clear advantage, by making Iran’s economic life as difficult as possible. That is, to reach a peace deal during the already-declared cease-fire, the U.S. believes it needs to wage a new kind of war, this time by targeting Iran’s economy—which depends heavily on energy exports through the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade is “the least bad option” after the collapse of the talks in Islamabad last weekend, one former military official told us. Trump has repeatedly claimed victory in the war, but the regime remains in charge in Tehran and has used its control of the strait to impose steep economic costs on the world. Imposing a blockade will also draw the U.S. military deeper into the conflict, potentially putting Navy ships face-to-face with Iranian forces or proxies.