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Trump plans wider sanctions and blockade to isolate Iran
The administration is preparing an economic isolation campaign that could expand pressure to partners including China and India, with analysts warning Iran may retaliate by targeting energy infrastructure to lift oil prices.
President Donald Trump is betting that new sanctions, a naval blockade, and heightened economic pressure on Iran’s trading partners can achieve what military strikes alone have not, pushing Tehran toward a deal on US terms, according to SCMP Economy citing Bloomberg.
SCMP Economy reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to unveil details Monday of a plan aimed at shifting the conflict away from tit-for-tat strikes across the Middle East toward broader economic isolation, potentially involving countries ranging from China and India to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The story says the US strategy faces a key constraint: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is described as having claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz and the ability to carry out attacks across the Gulf, including drone strikes.
SCMP Economy also notes that additional economic pressure could lead Iran to retaliate with military strikes across the Gulf, potentially against energy infrastructure, with the goal of pushing up oil prices and increasing the cost of the US campaign, prompting Trump to adjust course again.