President Trump’s efforts to end the conflict with Iran have encountered multiple setbacks, with limited U.S. military airstrikes and aggressive rhetoric failing to compel Tehran to yield.

A Pentagon assessment reported that the U.S. naval blockade, during its first phase from April 13 to June 18, cost Iran approximately $4.8 billion in oil revenue. Despite this, Iran has asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz and plans to charge tolls to generate revenue, according to William Wechsler, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism and senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs.

Experts who spoke with The Hill expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s approach, with some criticizing the strategy and others suggesting it is Washington’s only remaining option. Wechsler cautioned that while renewed war with Iran carries significant risks, any deal resembling the memorandum of understanding signed in June would be a setback.

Wechsler also highlighted a key concern: Trump may succeed domestically through persuasion, but Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) wields additional tools beyond rhetoric. Trump himself declared, “They have No Money – Their country is ‘shot.’ All they have is FAKE NEWS and 300 percent INFLATION, and getting worse! Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle East No Longer. Praise be to Allah!”

Tensions escalated when a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles disabling the Panama-flagged vessel M/V Vela Nova after it attempted to breach the blockade in the Gulf of Oman, ignoring repeated U.S. warnings.

The ongoing struggle underscores the complexity of U.S.-Iran relations as diplomatic breakthroughs remain elusive and the pressure mounts on both sides ahead of upcoming U.S. elections.

Sources