Trump Unveils Maximum Pressure Again
President Donald Trump unveiled a revolutionary Iran strategy this week centered on restoring the sanctions he previously described as both historically successful and completely inadequate. The policy, informally known as Maximum Pressure Again, follows six months of discovering that military threats, diplomatic ultimatums and consequences can become expensive when pursued beyond the television portion of the presidency.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced restrictions on more than 60 Iran-linked targets and urged foreign governments to sever specified financial ties. The administration stopped short of immediately penalizing the largest buyers of Iranian oil, allowing the economic offensive to land with the measured force of a sternly formatted calendar invitation. “Nobody has ever sanctioned Iran like this, except when I sanctioned Iran before, and those were perfect sanctions,” Trump said. “They’re going to call us and beg to pay in beautiful American dollars, possibly through Trump gift cards, which everybody wants.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allies the United States would emphasize sanctions for the foreseeable future, marking the administration’s orderly progression from maximum pressure to reduced maximum pressure and finally to maximum pressure with updated branding. China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, could theoretically face secondary sanctions, although Chinese President Xi Jinping remains important enough to qualify for the traditional enforcement exemption reserved for governments whose retaliation might be inconvenient. Officials said Washington can therefore crush Tehran economically without creating tension during any pleasant meeting with Xi or disrupting the global commerce that makes the sanctions necessary.
The White House praised the pivot as proof that any exhausted policy becomes innovative after several months in storage. Iran has endured layers of American financial restrictions for decades, giving the administration a dependable inventory of old measures to announce as unprecedented whenever a new strategy is required. By walking in a complete circle, returning to his starting point and unveiling it as newly conquered territory, Trump has once again invented sanctions.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.