Washington/Tehran. Almost six months after the start of the war, US President Donald Trump wants to get Iran to give in with an “economic war”. He spoke of economic warfare and isolation of Iran on an unprecedented scale, in which US allies should also take part. Many questions surrounding the threatening scenario remain unanswered - such as what consequences Trump has in mind for allies who do not take part.
Trump said that every country, including its financial institutions, companies, airports and government agencies, would face “HUGE economic consequences” if they supported Iran. The help of all US allies is needed to stop the threat posed by Iran.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the announcement served to distract from the United States' own problems. He referred to historically high levels of debt. The “economic terrorism” of the USA endangers the global economy, Araghtschi continued.
Media in Iran reacted unimpressed to Trump's new threat. The Republican had previously repeatedly spoken of the supposedly imminent collapse of Iran and of blows of historic proportions, the Fars news agency wrote on Telegram. His claims should only be understood as standard “psychological warfare and propaganda campaigns”.
The Tasnim news agency wrote that this was “not a new development, as the United States has been trying to prevent all financial and economic ties with Iran for years.” Iran has “learned to circumvent these restrictions and is now very adept at it.”
Two and a half months before the important midterm elections in the USA, Trump is under strong domestic political pressure - also because he has not been able to record any obvious successes in his war against Iran for weeks. Neither on the diplomatic nor on the military level does it seem to be progressing in his favor. It was not only during the negotiations about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which merchant ships could pass unhindered before the start of the war, that Tehran appeared unimpressed by the Republican's constant threatening gestures.
Trump repeatedly makes threats against the leadership of the Islamic Republic - and this time too he chose sharp words. He spoke of “measures of historic proportions” and the “most devastating economic operation” that had ever been carried out against a country. He compared his plan, peppered with superlatives, to an “economic D-Day” for Iran.
Comprehensive US sanctions against Iran have been in force for a long time. Now Trump seems to want to take further measures. “Oil smuggling, currency exchange agreements, money transfers, exchange offices, shipping registries, front companies – all of this must be stopped immediately,” Trump continued.
How exactly the US President wants to bring the leadership in Tehran to its knees initially remained open. Also the question of what consequences countries face that “support” Iran. This could primarily mean states like China that continue to purchase Iranian oil. Oil exports are the most important source of income for the Iranian power apparatus.
Beijing warned the US of further sanctions. “Sanctions and pressure do not contribute to solving the problem,” said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. All parties involved should act responsibly and resolve the matter through political and diplomatic channels. The People's Republic is Iran's largest trading partner and receives a large proportion of its oil exports.
Robert Malley, a Yale researcher and former adviser to President Barack Obama, shared: "Few things are more seductive or deceptive than the idea that if economic pressure doesn't work, then more economic pressure will." Iran will either sit it out and wait for Trump's next about-face or go on the offensive itself. But the leadership in Tehran will not give in.
A few days ago, a deadline expired during which representatives of the USA and Iran wanted to conclude negotiations on key controversial issues such as the Iranian nuclear program. However, there does not appear to have been any significant progress at the diplomatic level. The ceasefire and other points of the agreement have been repeatedly violated in recent weeks.
