Arabic version: عقوبات ترامب على إيران تثير تساؤلات بشأن تأثيرها

According to Al Jazeera, the United States is shifting its approach after nearly six months of war on Iran, with President Donald Trump saying Washington will carry out a “crushing economic operation” against Tehran.

Attempts to reach an agreement to end the war have stalled, the broadcaster reported. The US is now urging other countries to join what it calls the greatest coordinated economic isolation in history, expanding the campaign beyond direct US measures.

Iran has warned that countries joining the US campaign will be treated as enemies. The warning raises questions about how Tehran could respond to states that participate in what Iran describes as an economic war, and what wider consequences the sanctions drive could have for the conflict.

Al Jazeera’s Inside Story, presented by James Bays, examined whether the new sanctions can achieve their stated purpose. Guests included Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council; Hassan Ahmadian, a professor at the University of Tehran and deputy director at the Center for Middle East Scientific and Strategic Studies; and Mark Pfeifle, a former White House deputy national security adviser and president of Off the Record Strategies.

The programme was published on August 23, 2026, as attention focused on the prospects for the US economic campaign and the risk of retaliation by Iran against countries that join it.