By Hedelberto López Blanch on August 27, 2026
Image: Adan
The Convicted U.S. President Donald Trump, after suffering a humiliating military defeat in the unjustified war he launched on February 28 against Iran, has now announced the “most devastating economic operation in U.S. history” against Iran.
An editorial in The New York Times states that since the start of the war, “Trump said the United States would achieve a total and complete victory and that Iran must accept unconditional surrender. He hinted that there would be a regime change; that Iran would not be allowed to enrich uranium at all; and that the United States, in collaboration with Iran, would unearth and remove all near-military-grade nuclear material. Furthermore, Washington would control the Strait of Hormuz. None of this appears to be true.”
Trump, under intense pressure from the American public as well as Congress over the consequences of that aggression—and on the eve of the midterm elections—warned on his social media platform Truth that any country that allows the Islamic Republic to circumvent sanctions will face severe economic repercussions.
As if he were the emperor of the world, he added, with his usual arrogance, that those who “allow their financial institutions, companies, airports, or government entities to provide any kind of assistance to Iran will face enormous economic consequences.”
Among the demands made by the self-proclaimed emperor-in-training to his Western allies are those to “eliminate oil smuggling, barter arrangements, cash transfers, currency exchange houses, ship registrations, and front companies—all of which must end immediately.”
Iran immediately denounced Trump’s economic war as a “farce” repeated by various officials in the White House, one destined to fail.
In a post on his X account, Foreign Minister Seeyed Abbas Araqchi reviewed a series of failed pressure tactics employed by Washington against Tehran throughout history.
He recalled that 14 years ago, “the most devastating sanctions in history”—imposed during the Barack Obama administration against Iran—“failed.” According to the Iranian foreign minister, in 2018 the “maximum pressure” campaign imposed by the Donald Trump administration against Iran also “failed.”
Abás Araqchi emphasized that his country and government have many avenues to once again prevail in this new economic war launched by the United States.
Russia and China—Teherán’s two allied powers, which have numerous trade and financial agreements with Iran—quickly rejected Washington’s attempts to present itself as the decision-maker in a world that is no longer unipolar.
China’s Foreign Ministry strongly rejected the measure and stated that cooperation between China and Iran falls strictly within the framework of international law and must not be subject to interference or disruption. The Russian Foreign Ministry made a similar statement.
But these two statements by U.S. officials are also telling.
Chris Murphy, the Democratic senator from Connecticut, described Trump’s new sanctions against Iran as “desperate” and asserted that Washington has failed to achieve any of its war aims.
“‘D-Day’ (the start date of the operation) is a desperate spectacle. Iran is winning the war and Trump is losing it, while Americans are paying a very, very high price,” Murphy said in criticizing the new sanctions announced by the administration.
“Let’s remember that none of Trump’s war objectives have been achieved. The Iranian regime remains intact and stable. Iran still has its missiles, drones, and nuclear program; before the war, Iran did not control the strait—now it does,” the senator noted.
For his part, retired General Barry Richard McCaffrey, one of the most highly decorated officers in the United States, emphasized that “Trump has lost control of the Middle East and several bases due to his disastrous war with Iran. What a DISASTER! In my opinion, the U.S. Armed Forces have permanently lost access to 15 bases in the Gulf. Iran is now poised to control the route to the Gulf States. Washington will have to negotiate new access in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Southern Europe. The implications of this are enormous,” the general declared.
Everything indicates that, once again, the ambitions of the frustrated emperor and convicted U.S. president—in the face of Iran’s enormous and multifaceted resistance—will end in total failure.
Source: Cuba en Resumen