Economic blockades have long served as instruments of coercion, deliberately positioned in the grey zone between diplomacy and war. They have been used throughout history as a pressure tactic to force the enemy to make concessions at the negotiating table. This could be what Trump hopes to achieve by imposing a naval blockade on Iran, which continues to exercise control over what ships can enter and exit the Strait of Hormuz.
Blockading the blockade: Trump tightens his chokehold on Iran is this week’s cover story. In it, we examine the political and economic repercussions of the US naval blockade on Iran and whether such a strategy is sustainable amid Iran’s proven ability to withstand US pressure tactics.
![The Turkish drilling vessel Fatih waits on the shores of Istanbul's Marmara sea in Istanbul, Turkey, 9 April 2020. [Erdem Sahin/EPA/EFE]](https://static.majalla.com/styles/760x533/public/2023-01/1_6.jpg.webp?VersionId=O211ppLeMnTDsfmaDjbXSSZq7CG7z6_v)
