Trump Announces Unprecedented Economic Offensive Against Iran to Isolate Regime

US President Donald Trump declared a major economic operation against Iran overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, calling it the most crushing economic campaign ever imposed on any country. Speaking on his Truth Social platform, Trump emphasized that he had given Iran more chances for a deal than anyone else, but the regime failed to seize the opportunity. He described the move as unprecedented economic warfare and isolation, warning that any country maintaining economic ties with Iran, including financial institutions, businesses, or airports, would face economic consequences.

Trump highlighted Iran's current vulnerabilities, stating their navy has vanished, air force destroyed, military factories ruined, currency worthless, and the country on the brink of collapse. He called for global allies to join in isolating and defeating the Iranian threat, asserting that Iran would never obtain nuclear weapons. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin recently indicated that the US would implement measures never before seen against Iran, combining unprecedented economic isolation with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to prevent goods from entering or leaving Iranian ports.

Bloomberg analyzed potential US tactics, including sanctions targeting Chinese intermediaries who buy over 90% of Iranian oil, which could severely impact Tehran's revenues. Additional measures might target money exchangers in the UAE that help Iran repatriate funds. The US has already sanctioned some Iranian money exchangers as part of an "Economic Fury" campaign. These moves resemble Trump's 2017 sanctions on North Korea, forcing foreign banks and companies to choose between Iran and access to the US financial system, potentially affecting neighboring countries and allies like Turkey.

Other contemplated steps include seizing Iranian state assets under US jurisdiction and expanding actions against Iran's "shadow fleet" from individual vessels to companies and infrastructure enabling shipments. Separately, Axios reported that the US military has secretly established a shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, operational for weeks, allowing 15-20 tankers to pass nightly near Oman's coast. This route enables about 10 million barrels of oil, half the pre-conflict volume, to reach global markets. The US Central Command reportedly disabled Iranian maritime radar and surveillance systems, rendering the Revolutionary Guards nearly blind and forcing them to fire missiles and drones broadly, with some vessels hit. The operation is coordinated with regional partners and protected by US air forces against missile and drone threats.