Can Trump's economic war against Iran do what airstrikes and negotiations couldn't?

Analysis Can Trump's economic war against Iran do what airstrikes and negotiations couldn't? Updated August 25, 20265:07 AM ET Originally published August 25, 20265:07 AM ET Arezou Rezvani Vehicles drive past a billboard with an illustration showing the Strait of Hormuz and the sewn lips of President Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, May 2. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption toggle caption Vahid Salemi/AP When the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran in February, President Trump vowed a swift victory. Now, nearly six months later, and on the heels of a failed 60-day ceasefire deadline that was meant to end the war, the U.S. instead finds itself entangled in a protracted conflict. The war with Iran has battered the global economy, agitated Gulf allies and depleted the U.S. arsenal. It has also weakened President Trump's leverage to pursue his primary war goal, which has shifted from curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions to regime change and is now aimed at prying the Strait of Hormuz out of Iran's grip. Sponsor Message State of the World from NPR Will the Trump Administration's latest economic pressure on Iran work? It is against this backdrop that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled a new sanctions campaign Monday against Iran that intends "to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone." Bessent put nations that continue doing business with Iran on notice, saying they should "expect to share in the isolation of a withering regime." Past administrations, including Trump's first, have attempted to pressure Iran economically through various sanctions campaigns over the years. But the regime has kept money flowing and the government afloat through various smuggling operations and schemes, according to past U.S. Treasury Department investigations. That has raised questions about whether another punishing economic campaign can really bend — or break — Iran's ruling establishment. "One thing that we've...