Donald Trump’s incoming administration is preparing to reinstate its “maximum pressure” campaign to cripple Iran’s financial ability to support regional proxies and advance its nuclear program, according to individuals familiar with the transition team’s plans. As soon as Trump assumes office in January, his foreign policy team intends to escalate sanctions on Tehran, particularly targeting its critical oil exports, these sources revealed.

“He’s determined to reinstitute a maximum pressure strategy to bankrupt Iran as soon as possible,” said a national security expert with knowledge of Trump’s transition plans.

This approach signals a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy during a period of instability in the Middle East, following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked regional unrest and heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. Throughout his campaign, Trump suggested a desire to negotiate with Iran. “We have to make a deal, because the consequences are impossible. We have to make a deal,” he stated in September.

Sources familiar with Trump’s strategy indicated that the renewed maximum pressure campaign aims to bring Iran to the negotiating table with the U.S., although many experts remain skeptical about the likelihood of success.

During his first term, Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, instead imposing extensive sanctions on the Islamic Republic. In response, Tehran accelerated its nuclear development, enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. While the sanctions largely stayed in place during the Biden administration, analysts believe their enforcement was less rigorous as efforts were made to revive the nuclear deal and reduce tensions.

Iran’s crude oil exports have significantly increased in recent years, rising from a low of 400,000 barrels per day in 2020 to over 1.5 million barrels per day in 2024, with the majority of shipments directed to China, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.

Trump’s transition team is reportedly drafting executive orders for immediate implementation upon his return to the Oval Office. These orders are expected to include new sanctions aimed at drastically reducing Iran’s oil exports. “If they really go whole hog . . . they could knock Iran’s oil exports back to a few hundred thousand barrels per day,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy and a former energy advisor to President George W. Bush. He added, “It’s their main source of earnings and their economy is already much more fragile than it was back then . . . they’re in a corner much worse than even the first term, it would be a pretty bad situation.”

Advisors to Trump have urged swift action against Tehran, with one insider explaining that the president-elect plans to emphasize “that we are going to treat Iran sanctions enforcement very seriously.”

{Matzav.com}