The regime in Tehran continues to defy Trump as the Supreme Leader declared on Thursday that the Islamic Republic will protect its "nuclear and missile capabilities" as a national asset, reports Associated Press. A written statement attributed to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was read by a state television anchor. It struck a defiant tone, insisting the only place Americans belong in the Persian Gulf is "at the bottom of its waters."
His remarks come as Iran's oil industry is being squeezed by a U.S. Navy blockade halting its oil tankers from getting out to sea. Brent Crude, which serves as the benchmark for oil pricing globally, also reached $126 a barrel on Thursday but had dropped to $108 on Friday.
The U.S. and Iran’s opposite stance regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities along with the increased pressure on the world economy are factors for Trump to consider going forward.
Robert Maginnis is president of Maginnis Strategies, LLC. He says it's about the cost of oil.
"The politics of this are closing in on the Trump administration. They've got to finish this off sooner rather than later. They have to have the economy stimulated. They have to have energy prices down,” says Maginnis. “We only have a short period of time before we have to pull out because the Democrats are going to take advantage of Trump's vulnerability on Iran."
Maginnis is skeptical about talks of regime change without committing thousands and thousands of ground troops.
"You're not going to do it from the air, and you're not going to do it from the sea. Now, Trump's hoping that you can starve him out by stopping oil income, which is possible, I think, if it holds on long enough,” Maginnis states.
But at what point, he asks, do the Republicans lose the chance of maintaining control over the Congress?
“And, of course, if the Democrats get back in there, all they're going to do is revert to impeaching Trump, and we get to a no-go situation on many fronts. This is not a very good situation we find ourselves in," Maginnis says.
