President Donald Trump is betting new sanctions, a naval blockade and ramped-up economic pressure against Iran’s trading partners can accomplish what thousands of bombs and missiles could not: force Tehran to accept a deal to end the war on U.S. terms. But like other U.S. efforts to force Iran into capitulation, there’s one main problem: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has claimed control of the vital Strait of Hormuz and sent volleys of attack drones across the Persian Gulf, may be impervious to such pressure — and has plenty of ways to retaliate. A key part of the U.S. effort will come on Monday, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has promised to unveil details of a plan designed to shift the conflict from tit-for-tat strikes across the Middle East to full-blown economic isolation — a campaign that could touch nations ranging from China and India to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
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