Analysis-The Iran War Has Revealed Trump’s Pressure Point: the Economy

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2026-04-18/analysis-the-iran-war-has-revealed-trumps-pressure-point-the-economy

2 Comments

  1. of course, because he has always been and will always be a businessman, not a politician

  2. >…Trump has often publicly shrugged off domestic economic concerns driven by the war.

    >But he can hardly ignore that though the U.S. does not depend on the one-fifth of global oil shipments that were effectively blocked by Iran’s chokehold on the strait, surging energy costs have ⁠hit U.S. consumers. The International Monetary ⁠Fund’s warning of a risk of global recession adds to the gloom. 

    >Pressure for a way out of the unpopular war has mounted as Trump’s fellow Republicans defend ​narrow majorities in Congress in the November midterm elections.

    >None of this has been lost on Iran’s leaders, who have used their grip on the strait to push Trump’s team to the negotiating table. 

    >Analysts say U.S. rivals China and Russia may draw their own lesson: while Trump has shown an appetite for military force in his second term, he looks for a diplomatic off-ramp as soon as the economic heat becomes uncomfortable at home.

    >“Trump is feeling the economic pinch, which is his Achilles heel in this war of choice,” said Brett Bruen, a former foreign policy adviser in the Obama administration who heads the Global Situation Room strategic consultancy.