The Trump administration is reassessing the timeline for its economic pressure campaign on Iran after sanctions and port blockades failed to force Tehran to accept U.S. negotiating terms. Washington is now increasingly accepting that the effort may last for months or longer, shifting its approach from seeking quick results to wearing Iran down over time.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent had previously expected Iranian airlines to be forced to halt international operations by the end of September, but that target was not achieved.
On oil, the blockade has sharply reduced Iran’s new export volumes, but it has not fully cut off the country’s income. Iran is still selling inventories that had already been shipped out. Reuters data shows that about 20 million barrels of Iranian crude remain outside the blockade area. Data from Kpler shows Iran can still move about 250,000 barrels of oil per day across land borders to destinations abroad.
Next phase of pressure
The next stage of the U.S. campaign will continue to target Iranian banks, airlines, oil tankers and intermediary networks. Washington also plans to pressure foreign financial institutions, warning that dealings with Iran could expose them to secondary sanctions.
The U.S. is also seeking to restrict Iran’s use of shadow fleets, ship-to-ship transfers and third-country trade routes to bypass sanctions.
No concession yet on core issues
So far, the economic pressure has not translated into Iranian concessions on core issues including its nuclear program. Tehran continues to demand that the U.S. lift the port blockade, ease oil sanctions and release frozen assets.
U.S. officials believe that continued pressure on Iran’s oil revenue and access to international finance will gradually shift time in Washington’s favor. At the same time, a prolonged blockade would also mean higher military commitments, greater shipping risk and added costs for energy markets.
The report was cited from The Washington Post.