Even More Maximum Pressure on Iran
The Trump administration is threatening secondary sanctions against countries doing business with Iran, though it remains hesitant to target major powers like China and Russia. Analysts suggest this reluctance highlights the limited effectiveness of the administration's 'maximum pressure' economic strategy.
Why it matters
It illustrates the geopolitical challenges and limitations of using economic sanctions as a primary tool for foreign policy.
The Trump administration gave its own explanation for why sanctions against Tehran won’t work.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP August 25, 2026, 11:46 AM ET Share Save N o sooner had Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the latest tool for achieving what he said would be the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran than he revealed the reason he was reluctant to use it.
Secondary sanctions—penalties on countries, individuals, or entities that do business with Iran—are ready to go, Bessent announced to reporters in the Treasury’s ornate Cash Room yesterday. But he went out of his way not to name the chief offenders that help Tehran: China and Russia. So, Bessent was asked, why threaten rather than just do it, particularly after President Trump last week warned of economic warfare “on an unprecedented scale” if Iran doesn’t surrender to U.S. demands?
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