PNN – A Western media outlet has attributed Donald Trump’s escalating threats against Iran to his frustration with the current situation.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper examined the underlying reasons for the new threats made by Donald Trump—the head of the US “terrorist administration”—to wage economic war against Iran. The report noted that while Trump is known for his harsh rhetoric and for frequently backing down after making warmongering threats, the question remains: what lies behind his latest display of posturing?
Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with devastating force and economic sanctions, only to subsequently soften his bellicose tone. At the same time, he has frequently spoken of supposed progress in negotiations toward a diplomatic agreement, yet without any tangible success to show for it.
Against this backdrop, Trump is once again railing on Truth Social, claiming that an economic war of unprecedented scale is set to be waged against Iran. His harsh rhetoric serves, above all, to highlight one thing: a sense of growing desperation.
There has been no significant progress regarding either the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz—vital for the global trade of oil, gas, and fertilizer—or the achievement of an agreement to end the conflict, which has been ongoing for nearly six months.
Trump is now threatening economic sanctions against any country that trades with Iran. However, the Republican U.S. president has left open the question of what specific steps the U.S. administration intends to take beyond the sanctions already imposed on Tehran. He also did not single out any specific country.
Shortly before that, the Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates—an ally of Washington—had announced the suspension of all trade relations and financial transactions with Iran until further notice. This move comes despite the fact that the two nations share a significant trade partnership, with bilateral trade amounting to tens of billions of US dollars annually.
The suspension of trade and financial dealings will significantly damage economic relations between the two countries. The Wall Street Journal reported that severing these ties would be difficult, as many such activities are deliberately concealed.
Gregory Brew, an Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group, also wrote on the online platform X that it remains to be seen whether other countries will follow the UAE’s example. Notably, China is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s largest trading partner.
Therefore, much like Trump’s tariff threats against trade partners and allies—or his announcements of military maneuvers targeting Iran—there is a realistic possibility that he might ultimately decide to back down again.
A similar scenario played out on Tuesday evening, just before the deadline Trump had set for Canada regarding the imposition of additional tariffs on imports from that neighboring country.
Trump finds himself cornered and isolated, both domestically and internationally. There is no progress in sight regarding Russia’s war on Ukraine, Israel’s conflict with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, or the war Trump waged against Iran. Alleged achievements—such as the agreement to disarm Hamas or the framework agreement between the United States and Iran reached in June—have proven short-lived.
With the crucial U.S. midterm elections approaching in early November, it is vital for this Republican to convey at least a glimmer of success to his voter base. The deep-seated conflict between Washington and Tehran—and the resulting rise in the cost of living—is weighing increasingly heavily on his constituents.
As a result of the Strait of Hormuz being closed for months, the prices of gasoline and fertilizer have skyrocketed. Since then, people around the world have been forced to pay more. The energy crisis has also exacerbated inflation in the United States, meaning Trump can no longer score political points with one of his former favorite campaign themes—namely, that life should be affordable. The situation is now the exact opposite.
In March, shortly after the start of the war imposed on Iran—which he launched jointly with Israel—Trump had boldly declared: “We won.”
He claimed that it was all over within the very first hour. Now, this Republican claims once again that Iran’s navy has been destroyed, its air force obliterated, and its arms industry reduced to ruins. He also asserts that Iran’s currency is virtually worthless and the country is hanging by a thread.
Meanwhile, despite Trump’s repeated threats, Iran has so far shown little inclination to back down from its insistence on controlling the Strait of Hormuz. After all, the strait is arguably Iran’s greatest asset.