Miad Maleki, who played a central role in Treasury Department sanctions campaigns against Iran and its network of proxy groups, said in an on-camera interview the current moment reflects a rare convergence of economic, political and diplomatic leverage against Tehran.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve never had the level of leverage<\/a> that we have today with Iran in the history of our conflict \u2026 since 1979,” Maleki said.\u00a0<\/p>\n His assessment comes as President Donald Trump<\/a> signaled escalating pressure Thursday, writing on Truth Social that the United States has “total control over the Strait of Hormuz” and that it is effectively “sealed up tight” until Iran agrees to a deal.<\/p>\n IRAN PRESIDENT VOWS DEFIANCE AS PROTESTS BUILD AGAINST REGIME AMID US MILITARY BUILD UP<\/a><\/p>\n Maleki argues the current moment marks a turning point because multiple pressure tools \u2014 sanctions, a U.S. naval blockade, and tighter enforcement \u2014 are being applied simultaneously for the first time in years. Unlike previous cycles, he said, the strategy is now directly targeting Iran\u2019s oil exports and the networks that help move them, raising the risk of a rapid economic squeeze.<\/p>\n He said Iran may run out of oil storage in as little as two to three weeks, forcing production cuts, while gasoline shortages could hit on a similar timeline due to heavy reliance on imports. Combined with an estimated $435 million in daily economic losses, the pressure could spill into the financial system, leaving the regime struggling to pay<\/a> salaries and raising the risk of renewed unrest.<\/p>\n An oil tanker is seen near the terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, as U.S. officials and analysts consider whether seizing the island could significantly impact Iran’s oil exports. (Ali Mohammadi\/Bloomberg)<\/p>\n Maleki said the real leverage lies in sustained economic pressure and enforcement.<\/p>\n At the core of that pressure is an Iranian economy he describes as “on the verge of collapse,” driven by years of sanctions and compounded by recent disruptions.<\/p>\n He pointed to triple-digit food inflation<\/a>, a sharply devalued currency and a roughly 90% collapse in purchasing power, along with potential long-term oil revenue losses of up to $14 billion annually.<\/p>\n Maleki, who is currently a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, estimated that current conditions are costing Iran “about $435 million a day in combined economic damage \u2026 with the blockade and closure of the Strait<\/a> of Hormuz.”<\/p>\n A key driver of that pressure is the Strait of Hormuz, long viewed as one of Iran\u2019s primary tools of leverage in global energy markets. Maleki said the dynamic has shifted.<\/p>\n IRAN IS ‘TRYING TO GIVE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY A HEART ATTACK’ BY CLOSING STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UAE MINISTER SAYS<\/a><\/p>\n Former President Donald Trump weighs a potential attack on Iran’s oil hub at Kharg Island amid expert predictions of market chaos. (Morteza Nikoubazl\/NurPhoto)<\/p>\n “Iran\u2019s economy relies on the Strait of Hormuz more than any other economy,” he said, calling its closure a form of “economic self-sabotage.”<\/p>\n While countries in Asia \u2014 including Japan, South Korea, India<\/a> and China \u2014 are most exposed to disruptions, many have built up reserves. “Japan\u2019s oil reserve is pretty significant. Same with China,” Maleki said.<\/p>\n Still, the region remains heavily dependent on the waterway, with roughly 75% of liquefied natural gas supplies for countries including India, China and South Korea flowing through the strait.<\/p>\n Inside Iran, however, vulnerabilities are more immediate. Despite vast oil reserves, the country imports between 30 million to 60 million liters of gasoline per day to cover a domestic shortfall of up to 35 million liters.<\/p>\n “If they run out of gasoline\u2026 they\u2019re going to have a major crisis domestically,” Maleki said, noting that past shortages and price<\/a> hikes have triggered widespread protests.<\/p>\n NUCLEAR EXPERTS WARN IRAN\u2019S URANIUM \u2018RIGHT\u2019 IS A MYTH, SAY TRUMP IS RIGHT TO HOLD FIRM<\/a><\/p>\n The economic pressure is being reinforced by a U.S. naval blockade targeting<\/a> Iran\u2019s oil exports, the regime\u2019s primary source of revenue.<\/p>\n A billboard showing a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, looms over an empty square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Vahid Salemi\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n A senior administration official said the Treasury Department is intensifying enforcement under what it describes as an “Economic Fury” campaign, using financial and maritime tools in tandem to squeeze Iran\u2019s revenue streams.<\/p>\n The official said the strategy focuses on “systematically degrading Iran\u2019s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds,” including by constraining maritime trade through the naval blockade, which targets Iran\u2019s primary source of revenue from oil exports.<\/p>\n Financial pressure is also expanding globally. The official said Treasury has warned banks in China, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Oman that facilitating Iranian trade could expose them to secondary sanctions, signaling a more aggressive approach to enforcement beyond Iran\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n Treasury has issued sanctions on more than 1,000 targets since 2025 under the current maximum pressure campaign, the official said, aimed at disrupting Iran\u2019s oil trade and financial networks.<\/p>\n The official added that Iran is facing immediate logistical constraints, warning that storage capacity at Kharg Island \u2014 the country\u2019s main oil export terminal \u2014 could be filled within days if exports remain blocked, potentially forcing production shut-ins.<\/p>\n “Treasury will continue to freeze the funds stolen by the corrupt leadership on behalf of the people of Iran,” the official warned.<\/p>\n A new analysis from United Against Nuclear Iran said the blockade is already deterring high-value shipments, even as some Iran-linked vessels continue to<\/a> transit the region.<\/p>\n TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN ‘STARVING FOR CASH,’ ‘COLLAPSING FINANCIALLY’ AFTER EXTENDING CEASEFIRE<\/a><\/p>\n Iran seized two oil tankers Thursday while former Iranian minister Ezzatollah Zarghami threatened to make the Strait of Hormuz a “massacre and hell” for U.S. forces. (Giuseppe Cacace\/AFP)<\/p>\n “Effectiveness should not be measured by the total number of Iran-linked vessels at sea,” the group said in an April 22 statement. “But by whether the U.S. is disrupting high-value Iranian oil exports\u2026 and deterring large-scale illicit shipments.”<\/p>\n At least 29 vessels have been turned around or forced back to port, including several very large crude carriers, according to the report.<\/p>\n The blockade, announced April 12 and enforced by U.S. Central<\/a> Command, is designed to cut off Iranian crude exports, particularly shipments to China, while prioritizing high-impact targets.<\/p>\n While sanctions are clearly biting, Maleki said their impact has been limited by inconsistent enforcement across successive U.S. administrations.<\/p>\n U.S. sanctions on Iran have been in place in various forms for years, targeting the country\u2019s oil exports, banking sector and access to global financial systems.<\/p>\n Under the Obama administration, sanctions pressure was partially lifted under the nuclear deal. The first Trump administration reimposed “maximum pressure,” but enforcement ramped up gradually and lasted only a limited period. The Biden administration later eased enforcement in pursuit of diplomacy.<\/p>\n He argued that cycles of tightening and relief \u2014 including sanctions rollback under the Iran nuclear deal and pauses in enforcement \u2014 have allowed Tehran to adapt.<\/p>\n “What\u2019s different now,” Maleki said, is the combination of sustained sanctions with real-time enforcement measures that directly restrict Iran\u2019s ability to export oil \u2014 a step that was largely absent in earlier phases.<\/p>\n To maximize pressure, Maleki said Washington must sustain enforcement, particularly through secondary sanctions targeting foreign banks and companies facilitating Iranian trade.<\/p>\n Crucially, he downplayed the likelihood that outside powers could offset the pressure.<\/p>\n![\"Oil](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kharg-tanker.jpg\")
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