President Trump has risked a split with America’s closest allies and a possible ramp up in Iran’s aggression, or even its nuclear program, in pursuing the hardline policies that culminated today in the restoration of sanctions on the country’s oil, shipping and financial sectors.
Why it matters: The administration is betting the sanctions will hit the Iranian economy hard and force the regime to change course (or, perhaps, to change). The sanctions will indeed be painful, particularly as the SWIFT global payments system has now announced it’s cutting off several Iranian banks. But experts are far from convinced the pain will cause the regime to move in the direction Trump would like to push it.
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