JERUSALEM, Israel – President Trump claims that his economic stranglehold on Iran is working; however, Tehran is signaling that it may be prepared to wait him out with a long-term strategy as Israel faces new security challenges.
The president called the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “a wall of steel.” He indicated that he’s “sort of negotiating” as the economic pressure builds.
He told Real America’s Voice, “Economically, they are just a mess. They can’t borrow money, and they had a lot. We have total control of it. I’m their banker.”
Still, Iran may be strategizing to carry out a much longer fight. The regime says it could prolong the war until Trump leaves office, signaling a plan of attrition designed to outlast the president.
Retired U.S. General Jack Keane told Fox News that Iran thinks Trump will be reluctant to launch another major attack with the midterm elections approaching.
“You would think by now that all this time that this regime has been dealing with our president that they would learn a little bit from their miscalculation that they’ve done in the past, and it’s been quite considerable,” Keane noted.
The general added, “He has all the cards here. I believe the best card is a combination of all the economic levers that we were using … and also military power.”
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a Christian perspective.***
Here in Israel, questions are growing over the future of Hamas and Gaza. The Board of Peace is denying reports that it agreed to pay $400 million to cover Hamas debts as part of a disarmament deal.
The Israel Defense Forces claim, meanwhile, that Hamas has intensified the torture and interrogations of Palestinians since the ceasefire.
Even if Hamas disarms, Israel is suggesting that its military may not be leaving Gaza, Lebanon, or Syria for years to come.
Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted, “Under no circumstances do we retreat: not in Lebanon, not in Syria, not in Gaza from the security zones. The lesson of October 7th is that we protect the residents by having the IDF present in these places and defending them.”
In Judea and Samaria, the IDF deployed a battalion after extremist settlers surrounded a Palestinian family’s home in Qusra. Members of that family live in Ohio, and are watching it unfold six thousand miles away through their security camera.
The army attempted to scatter the activists, but dozens arrived and clashed with Israeli forces. Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, condemned the violence.
“Israel condemns all violence against Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. “Israel does not tolerate extremism. We confront it.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee weighed in, observing, “The actions of those doing this to this family’s home are criminal.” He explained, “The (White House) hasn’t ‘intervened’ because we have kept DC apprised of the situation already.”
Danon offered another side of the story to the U.N. Security Council. He claimed that Palestinian attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria are rising, citing 348 attacks in May, and another 408 that were thwarted. He accused the Council of focusing solely on Israel.
“How many of you have condemned terrorist attacks against the Jews?” he asked. “None of these attacks were mentioned by the briefers…this council focuses on one side of the violence (while) ignoring the other.”
