The US-led blockade and sanctions against Iran are working. Their success could determine the next phase of the war.
Iran’s remaining oil for sale is nearly exhausted. Its crude production has been cut in half. The regime’s primary source of revenue is drying up. Hyperinflation has left the economy in ruins.
Meanwhile, the flow of oil from other Gulf nations through the Strait of Hormuz, over which Iran had once wielded considerable influence, has effectively returned to normal.
But Iran shows no signs of folding yet. The regime isn’t willing to give any concessions on its nuclear program, and negotiations on freedom of transit through the Strait of Hormuz have repeatedly stalled.
Why, when Iran’s government acknowledges its economy faces a historic catastrophe, is the regime refusing to give in?
Iran has been here before. Five decades of operating successfully through punishing sanctions have taught the Iranian regime a thing or two about how to cope. Its brutal and ongoing crackdown on protests has quelled a public revolt. And the high cost of America’s ongoing operation has made the status quo politically toxic for Iran’s enemy.
by David Goldman/CNN – Trump backed Iran into a corner. The regime isn’t blinking
