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 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.