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Posted on 08/09/2026 3:21:05 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
President Trump signaled on Sunday that he's prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount — as opposed to ordering a new military offensive — even as the country continues to defy the U.S.
Why it matters: Only a week ago, Trump was on the verge of ordering a return to major combat operations. But in an interview with Axios, he did not make any new military threats.
Trump also didn't express any anger or frustration about the fact that Iran has been holding up an announcement on a deal with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, Iran issued a new list of demands to allow shipping through the strait.
What he's saying: "We are low keying it," Trump said during a brief phone call.
"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money."
He stressed that Iran "is in very bad shape" economically and has no money to pay its troops. The U.S. naval blockade has exacerbated the Iranian regime's economic crisis, Trump said.
At the same time, Trump said that with oil down to slightly over $75 a barrel, U.S. consumers are feeling less pain from the war.
"It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game," Trump said of the back-and-forth with Iran. Driving the news: An agreement governing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was negotiated among Iran, Oman and the U.S. and has been pending for a few days now.
As part of the new deal, Iran would be given partial control over traffic in the strait — something it didn't have before the war.
Qatari and Pakistani mediators were confident the deal would be announced Wednesday, but since then its prospects have seemed to fade.
U.S. officials also say there are growing disagreements inside the Iranian regime. One camp, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, is extremely worried about an economic collapse and believes Iran needs to reach a deal with the U.S. Another led by the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmad Vahidi, rejects any concessions.
State of play: On Saturday, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, laid out new terms for reopening the strait — on top of those negotiated in the Oman agreement.
Zolghadr said in a statement that in order for the strait to reopen, the U.S. must:
"[N]ever threaten nor insult Iran in any language."
"[P]ermanently end the war against Iran and Iran's allies in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq."
"Lift the naval blockade and withdraw military forces from the surroundings of Iran."
He added a demand for full compensation for war damages, lifting of all sanctions and releasing all Iranian frozen funds.
Until several weeks ago, these demands were a prerequisite for a nuclear deal. Now, Iran is presenting them as conditions just for reopening the strait. A diplomat from one of the mediating countries said Zolghadr's statement reflected the political infighting within the regime.
Behind the scenes: U.S. officials said Trump was leaning toward resuming major combat operations against Iran a week ago but was convinced to de-escalate for now.
One of the officials said the fighting allowed the Iranian regime to avoid dealing with the consequences of the war, the damage to infrastructure and the deep economic crisis that has been created.
When Iran isn't engaged in war, it is forced to confront a grim reality with no real solutions at hand, the U.S. official said.
At the same time, the U.S. official said, around 8 million barrels of oil are going out of the Gulf every night through the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the U.S. military. The U.S. is going to try and get more oil out as long as there is no deal.
What to watch: ״This thing is not over. It's obviously not at the beginning. We're in the middle of the game, and we're applying a whole host of tools — diplomatic, economic, military tools — to ensure that we get the best outcome for the American people," Vice President Vance told Fox News on Saturday.
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What are you doing with "specops" in a nation thats as big as the eastern US from the Mississippi rightward and nearly as populated?
We tried arming the Kurds - they just stole or sold everything.
This from the guy who hasn’t “low keyed” anything since he was in utero.
“could”
The Iranians will be cutting their own throats, if they levy tolls on tanker traffic through the straits. The Arab producers in the gulf will NOT meekly allow a bunch of Shiite Persians to get rich off their oil exports; it will be exactly the incentive the Arabs have always lacked, to construct pipelines bypassing the straits entirely. When that happens, say goodbye to Iranian leverage...
The Magic 8 Ball president.
Reply hazy, try again.
The Iranians have been cutting their own throat for months anyway when they block all traffic through the Strait.
Upwards of $500 million per day. They don’t care.
There may be an element of common sense to Trump’s low key approach.
We can’t bomb them into submission. We sure as hell can’t send ground troops in.
Maybe this financial squeeze play will work. What else is there to do?
I just wish Trump would keep his yap shut and quit making bomb threats he won’t keep and quit claiming the IRGC is begging for a deal.
Yeah, well how is that plan working out?
Organizing. Calling in air support.
This is a very wise decision by the Trump Administration
Nothing good is going to happen before the November elections and even if it did the anti Trump, pro Iran media ( but I repeat myself there) will spin anything to do with Iran in the most negative way for America
Best to just put Iran in a box and slam the lid down until after the election to give economic deterioration a chance to have its say with the IRGC and to normalize the economy and gas prices here in the US
The current price per barrel of crude oil has been hovering around $75 per bbl which in a normal economy translates into a price of gas at the pumps of $2.75 per gallon
Even if we just maintain the crude oil price status quo, gas prices will sink back down to that level over the next month or so
All prices are going up even eggs so the Trump’s economy not doing so well...
Bomb Dearborne.
I'm absolutely certain the IRGC has been begging for a deal - they just don't intend to complete a deal. They want to delay things sufficiently, for their Democrat and RINO allies here in the States to shut Trump down via war powers restrictions, impeachment, assassination, or whatever.
And the bombing may resume - the US military has limits, resupply/logistics is a reality, etc. Political considerations could also theoretically delay significant US attacks until after the November elections - but I wouldn't be surprised at all if a large part of Iran got reduced to rubble before any new Congress critters get sworn in next January...
All prices are going up even eggs so the Trump’s economy not doing so well...
—————————————-
I just paid 3.29 for an 18 pack of large AA free range eggs - normal price, not on sale
That is not an unreasonable price
I bought 4 boxes of 5 dozen eggs for church which I do monthly and they jumped $2 each as they were $6 and change and now $8 and change.
Might want to try another store
Not to mention how “low key” it is to threaten the biggest attack since WW2……real low key there…../s
So I guess bogus threats are now the definition of “low key”.
It’s not just the inflation hurting ordinary Iranians. More problem is LOSS OF OIL REVENUES from the blockade. Selling oil is Iran’s prime income source. The longer the blockade stays in place, the screw tightens more.
Grok, is iran shipping oil outside of the strait of hormuz?
Yes. Iran has been exporting crude oil via terminals and infrastructure on the Gulf of Oman (east of the Strait of Hormuz), so tankers do not need to transit the strait.
The main route is the Goreh-Jask (Goureh-Jask / Gureh-Jask) pipeline, a ~1,000 km, 42-inch line from the Goreh area (near Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf side) to the Jask / Kuh Mubarak (Kooh Mobarak) terminal area on Iran’s Makran coast in the Gulf of Oman. It was inaugurated around 2021 with an initial capacity of roughly 300,000–350,000 barrels per day (bpd), designed to expand toward 1 million bpd. This gives Iran an export outlet structurally independent of the Strait of Hormuz.
Recent activity (especially since late 2025 into 2026, amid heightened tensions, a U.S. blockade, and conflict-related disruptions around Hormuz) includes:
- Activation and use of the Kuh Mubarak offshore single-point mooring (SPM) buoy. It lifted essentially zero barrels through most of 2025, then approximately 6.9 million barrels of Iranian Heavy crude over roughly five months (building from ~0.9 million in December 2025 to higher volumes in Q1–April 2026), with cargoes reported as China-bound.
- Observed loadings of tankers (including VLCCs such as the sanctioned DORE) at the facility, and ongoing use of the Jask terminal as an alternative node while Kharg Island and traditional Gulf routes face pressure.
- Reports of increased flows through this eastern channel as part of Iran’s broader restructuring of crude exports away from full dependence on Hormuz transit.
Iran has also used other non-strait methods at smaller scale (e.g., rail corridors toward China, potential trucking), but the Jask/Kuh Mubarak seaborne route is the primary operational bypass for meaningful volumes. Most Iranian crude still historically moved via Kharg Island and through the strait (often with dark-fleet/AIS-off tactics, ship-to-ship transfers, etc.), and volumes via the eastern terminal remain a fraction of total potential exports. Capacity, storage, and operational constraints limit how much can fully substitute for Hormuz routes in the near term.
In short, yes—Iran has built and is actively using export infrastructure that allows oil to be loaded and shipped without passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Grok
Are these routes impervious to bombing?
Just kidding. I know the answer.
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