In “Trump Pivots Back to Sanctions for Iran as Other Strategies to End His War Fizzle” (Washington Post, 11 August 2026), Juan Zarate discusses the role of sanctions, third-party pressure, and the U.S. naval blockade in shaping economic and financial leverage over Iran.
Commenting on the potential impact of the United States’ economic pressure campaign, Juan notes that sanctions and the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports provide Washington with meaningful leverage, particularly when combined with threats of sanctions against third-party countries doing business with Iran. However, he emphasizes that such measures take time to test and produce results.
“The ultimate question will be how far the United States is willing to go to constrict Iran’s oil trade and threaten third countries with severe sanctions—and whether it has the patience to test whether the economic pain will change the regime’s behavior,” Juan said.
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