US President Donald Trump has announced a shift to a strategy of increased economic pressure on Iran, citing the difficult financial situation and galloping inflation in the Islamic Republic.
In a statement to the American media outlet Axios, the American leader emphasized that Washington is currently only conducting "semi-negotiations" with Tehran and prefers to watch as the country remains without funds for its army as a result of the American naval blockade. Meanwhile, in Iran itself, a key reshuffle has occurred at the top of power. The new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and President Massoud Pezeshkian appointed veteran and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohsen Rezaei, as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Trump's Strategy: “Like a Game of Chess“
According to information from the international agency Reuters, published on August 9, 2026, Donald Trump is adamant that there is no need to undertake new immediate military offensives, as the imposed sanctions and blockades are already achieving their goal.
“We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact that they have no money“, Trump told Axios, describing the current standoff around the Strait of Hormuz as „game of chess“.
The US president calmed US markets, noting that oil prices have fallen to levels of around $75 per barrel, which has significantly eased the pressure on American consumers. At the same time, Tehran continues to set tough conditions for the opening of the strategic waterway, demanding the lifting of blockades and the payment of billions of dollars in reparations.
Iran tightens security with an old guard commander
Against the backdrop of the economic crisis, Iranian state media, quoted by the Tasnim News Agency, confirmed the official elevation of Mohsen Rezaei. The 71-year-old general, who led the IRGC for 16 years (including during the Iran-Iraq War), was first named the Supreme Leader's representative to the Council, and hours later President Pezeshkian signed a decree appointing him as secretary of the influential body.
Rezaei replaces Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who officially resigned to take on "new responsibilities." Analysts interviewed by The New York Times said the reshuffle is aimed at consolidating power in the hands of longtime security hardliners, setting Tehran up for a long and drawn-out diplomatic and economic confrontation with the United States.