Summary
- The column said the Iranian regime is running short of oil storage facilities, funds and time, and that the economic damage from the maritime blockade is becoming severe.
- It said about 51%% of Iran’s oil exports are used to support military spending, meaning funds to pay the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could run dry if the blockade continues.
- The column argued that if Iran refuses to accept Trump’s demands, pressure through renewed combat operations — including the destruction of Kharg Island — would dramatically increase Trump’s leverage.
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Trump Shares Column Calling for Renewed Military Action, Says ‘Very True’
President Donald Trump shared a column on social media that argued for renewed military action against Iran instead of negotiations, calling it “very true!”
On April 23, Trump reposted a Washington Post column by Marc Thiessen on Truth Social. The article, headlined “Trump doesn’t need a deal to get what he wants from Iran,” argued that the Iranian regime is running short of oil storage, money and time.
Thiessen wrote that Iran needs negotiations far more urgently than Trump does. He argued that nearly 40 days of nonstop airstrikes had dealt a major military blow and that a maritime blockade is now causing severe economic damage. Citing Miad Maleki, a former official at the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, he wrote that about 95% of Iran’s trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz and that the country’s oil storage capacity is enough for only about two weeks.
He also wrote that about 51% of Iran’s oil exports are used to support military spending, meaning the regime could soon run out of money to pay the military, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which he described as now holding real power. He added that a blockade cutting off gasoline imports could trigger a serious fuel shortage and lead to social unrest.
Thiessen argued that if Iran does not present a serious counteroffer within three to five days, Trump should resume combat operations, starting with airstrikes targeting the country’s hardline leadership. He added that if the regime is truly split between a faction that wants negotiations and one that opposes them, “there is a simple solution: remove the faction that opposes it.”
He went on to argue that if Iran still refuses to accept Trump’s demands, Trump should issue an ultimatum threatening to destroy Kharg Island, through which 90% of Iran’s oil flows. A combination of two weeks of large-scale combat and a blockade, he wrote, would dramatically strengthen Trump’s leverage at the negotiating table.
Hong Min-seong, Hankyung.com reporter mshong@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
