{"id":2703845,"date":"2026-11-11T00:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T05:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-relax-yet-trumps-iran-blockade-makes-more-war-likely\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T00:15:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T05:15:05","slug":"dont-relax-yet-trumps-iran-blockade-makes-more-war-likely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dont-relax-yet-trumps-iran-blockade-makes-more-war-likely\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Relax Yet\u2014Trump\u2019s Iran Blockade Makes More War Likely"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdont-relax-yet-trumps-iran-blockade-makes-more-war-likely%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2703845&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Trump claims military escalation with Iran is unlikely, yet he keeps a harsh economic campaign and naval blockade in place. Experts warn the blockade is itself an act of war and could provoke retaliation: Iran retains the capability and will likely resist rather than capitulate, using strikes on shipping and the Strait of Hormuz to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/saudis-announce-additional-oil-production-cuts-following-opec-meeting\/\" title=\"Saudi Arabia to cut more oil production after OPEC+ meeting.\">raise oil prices<\/a>.The U.S. has expanded interdiction efforts with \u201cTask Force Iron Gate\u201d and is moving carriers into the region. Political pressures and hawkish groups risk renewed conflict; economic coercion is not a substitute for ending the war.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-blog-post__content s-wysiwyg s-wysiwyg--blog\">\n<div style=\"margin-bottom:30px;\" id=\"elevenlabs-audionative-widget\" data-height=\"90\" data-width=\"100%\" data-frameborder=\"no\" data-scrolling=\"no\" data-publicuserid=\"cb0d9922301244fcc1aeafd0610a8e90a36a320754121ee126557a7416405662\" data-playerurl=\"https:\/\/elevenlabs.io\/player\/index.html\" >Loading the <a href=\"https:\/\/elevenlabs.io\/text-to-speech\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elevenlabs Text to Speech<\/a> AudioNative Player&#8230;<\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/elevenlabs.io\/player\/audioNativeHelper.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script>                            <\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump, after threatening for weeks to bring the \u201chammer\u201d down on Iran, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/iran-war-day-256-trump-says-escalation-unlikely\/\">said<\/a> Monday that a U.S. escalation is \u201cunlikely\u201d and the war is \u201ceffectively over\u201d militarily. Antiwar voices breathed sighs of relief, and oil prices continued to plunge amid surging hopes of lasting peace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there\u2019s a big problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump also says he\u2019ll maintain America\u2019s crushing economic pressure campaign against Tehran, including the naval blockade on Iranian ports. Not only is the blockade itself an act of war under international law, but the campaign makes a resumption of all-out hostilities more likely, regardless of the president\u2019s intentions, experts told <em>The American Conservative<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>                         <!-- \/22404337467,3946880\/theamericanconservative-Leaderboard-Top -->                         <\/p>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1742316429780-0' style='min-width: 300px; min-height: 50px; max-width: 100%; '>                         <\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile the American economic warfare against Iran is causing significant damage to the Iranian economy, there is little reason to believe that the Iranian leadership will surrender in an existential war when the population has rallied around the flag following multiple American atrocities against the Iranian people,\u201d said Brett Erickson of Obsidian Risk Advisors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Islamic Republic, Erickson noted, has retained its military capability to escalate the regional war, and the Trump administration shouldn\u2019t assume the Iranians will \u201cstand idly by while the United States devastates their economy and citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Erickson\u2019s comments align with expert analyses provided to TAC in early September, days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the so-called \u201cEconomic D-Day\u201d strategy to cripple and isolate Tehran economically. \u201cIran will keep fighting despite the economic pain,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/hurting-everyday-iranians-doesnt-help-american-interests\/\">said<\/a> Rosemary Kelanic of Defense Priorities. \u201cThis is an existential conflict for them, and besides, capitulation isn\u2019t a serious option when Trump\u2019s demands are so erratic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve seen repeatedly that economic pressure can severely hurt ordinary people without producing the political outcome Washington expects,\u201d added Sina Toossi, an Iran expert at the Center for International Policy. \u201cTehran is more likely to look for ways to withstand the pressure and impose costs of its own, including through its leverage over Hormuz and regional energy flows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those pessimistic assessments proved prescient: October was the worst month of the war for Iranian strikes on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for the global energy trade. Iran successfully kept oil prices elevated to maximize the political costs for Trump and the Republican Party, using last week\u2019s midterm elections as leverage. That\u2019s evidence not only of Iran\u2019s intact military capabilities, but of its strategic patience and willingness to escalate amid U.S. pressure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, after the GOP\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-iran-war-is-uniting-the-muslim-world\/\" title=\"The ... Is Uniting the Muslim World\">midterm elections rout<\/a>, the Trump administration raised the pressure. It stood up \u201cTask Force Iron Gate,\u201d which expands the blockade on weapons shipments to Iran by targeting land routes and shipping in the Caspian Sea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The operation is led by Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command and reputedly one of the most hawkish military officials advising Trump. While the president may hope to save face without reigniting a deeply unpopular war, Cooper\u2019s operation only intensifies low-grade fighting that already risked spiraling into major hostilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The loudest advocates of the operation\u2014like Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)\u2014 would welcome a return to major U.S.-Israel strikes. Before the war, groups like the FDD sabotaged U.S.\u2013Iran diplomacy by pushing the White House to adopt hardline demands that Tehran plainly would not agree to, as TAC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/to-end-the-iran-war-trump-must-divorce-israel\/\">has reported<\/a>. Now, they back a strategy of economic strangulation that could lead to the regime change war scenario they actually want.<\/p>\n<section class=\"c-subscribe-email\" >\n<div class=\"l-container\">\n<div class=\"c-subscribe-email__wrap\">\n<div class=\"c-subscribe-email__head\">\n<h4 class=\"c-subscribe-email__heading\">Subscribe Today<\/h4>\n<h5 class=\"c-subscribe-email__subheading\">Get daily emails in your inbox<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-subscribe-email__form-wrap\">      <!-- Begin Mailchimp Signup Form -->      <\/p>\n<div id=\"mc_embed_signup\">\n<form id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" action=\"https:\/\/theamericanconservative.us4.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=442e644c01f8e54e26e4ff3f8&#038;id=f7b67cac40\" method=\"post\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" novalidate target=\"_blank\">\n<div id=\"mc_embed_signup_scroll\">\n<div class=\"c-subscribe-email__fields\">              <label for=\"mce-EMAIL\" class=\"u-screenreader-text\">Email Address:<\/label>              <input id=\"mce-EMAIL\" class=\"c-subscribe-email__field\" name=\"EMAIL\" type=\"email\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Your Email\" \/>              <input id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe\" class=\"c-subscribe-email__submit o-button o-button--red-500 o-button--solid\" name=\"subscribe\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Subscribe\" \/>            <\/div>\n<div id=\"mce-responses\" class=\"clear\">\n<div id=\"mce-error-response\" class=\"response\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"mce-success-response\" class=\"response\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>              <!-- real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups-->            <\/p>\n<div class=\"u-screenreader-text\" aria-hidden=\"true\">              <input tabindex=\"-1\" name=\"b_442e644c01f8e54e26e4ff3f8_f7b67cac40\" type=\"text\" value=\"\" \/>            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>      <!--End mc_embed_signup-->          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to move an aircraft carrier\u2014the USS <em>Theodore Roosevelt<\/em>\u2014to the Middle East. In mid- to late-November, the U.S. is set to briefly have a rare three-carrier presence in the region. If Iran judges a big U.S. attack to be inevitable or nearly so, it could preemptively strike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, political pressure on Trump to restart the war will rise in the coming weeks. December 11 marks a deadline for Congress to fund the federal government, and a growing number of Democrats want to use the occasion to cut funding for the Iran War. With Congress coming under Democratic control in January, the Washington War Party sees the next few weeks as a crucial window to \u201cfinish the job\u201d against Iran. Israeli political developments only add to the sense of urgency: Opposition parties are trying to form a new government, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theamericanconservative.com\/netanyahu-is-down-but-not-out-thats-dangerous\/\">has sought<\/a> to provoke another round of war in a desperate bid to hold onto power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever Trump may say, the economic pressure campaign against Iran isn\u2019t an alternative to war. Unless and until the president walks away from the conflict, opponents of this disastrous war should remain vigilant.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump signaled that further U.S. escalation is unlikely and that the Iran war is effectively over militarily, bringing relief to antiwar voices as oil prices dropped on hopes for lasting peace. But he also pledged to maintain a hard economic squeeze on Tehran, including a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Experts warn that such a blockade could be considered an act of war under international law and might raise the odds of renewed hostilities, regardless of the president\u2019s intentions. Analysts argue that crippling Iran\u2019s economy won\u2019t force Tehran to surrender in what it sees as an existential conflict, especially since Iran\u2019s leadership retains the ability to escalate regionally and will not simply capitulate while U.S. pressure continues. The economic pain is likely to hurt ordinary Iranians more than it compels political concessions, and Tehran is expected to seek costs of its own, potentially leveraging Hormuz and regional energy flows. October proved costly for Iran\u2019s strikes on ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as it managed to keep oil prices high to pressure the U.S. and the Republican Party, using the midterms as leverage. In response, the administration created Task Force Iron Gate to widen the blockade to land routes and Caspian shipping, led by Admiral Brad Cooper, a notably hawkish adviser. While Trump may want to avoid rekindling a widely unpopular war, Cooper\u2019s push risks reigniting low\u2011level fighting. Proponents like Mark Dubowitz of the FDD favor returning to major U.S.-Israel strikes, and some hawkish groups had previously pushed hardline demands that Tehran would not accept. The U.S. is also moving the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt into the Middle East, aiming for a rare three\u2011carrier presence in November. If Iran concludes a large-scale attack is inevitable, it could strike first. Domestic political pressure to restart hostilities will intensify, with December budget deadlines and a Democratic-controlled Congress looming in January, seen as a window to cut Iran funding, while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu faces political peril and may press for renewed conflict. In short, the economic campaign is not a substitute for war, and opponents should stay vigilant even as Trump publicly downplays a new war<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4462,"featured_media":2703846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/tac.imgix.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/GettyImages-2259655611.jpg?auto=compress&#038;crop=faces%2Centropy&#038;fit=crop&#038;fm=jpg&#038;h=630&#038;ixlib=php-3.3.1&#038;q=80&#038;w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[87734,32640,36408],"class_list":["post-2703845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily","tag-iran-blockade","tag-trump-administration","tag-us-foreign-policy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/tac.imgix.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/GettyImages-2259655611.jpg?auto=compress&#038;crop=faces%2Centropy&#038;fit=crop&#038;fm=jpg&#038;h=630&#038;ixlib=php-3.3.1&#038;q=80&#038;w=1200","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4462"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2703845"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2703849,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703845\/revisions\/2703849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2703846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2703845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2703845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2703845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}