{"id":33871,"date":"2026-08-09T04:11:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33871"},"modified":"2026-08-09T04:11:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T23:11:23","slug":"iranian-officials-are-worried-the-u-s-blockade-will-cause-an-economic-collapse-and-admit-sanctions-relief-is-desperately-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=33871","title":{"rendered":"Iranian officials are worried the U.S. blockade will cause an economic collapse and admit sanctions relief is desperately needed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Sensing it has the upper hand, Iran issued a long list of maximalist demands before it reopens the Strait of Hormuz, even as officials in Tehran grow increasingly concerned about the shattered economy.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->While Iran and Oman have been in talks over how to<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/08\/07\/emerging-deal-reopen-strait-hormuz-iran-us-accept\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:manage%20traffic%20through%20the%20narrow%20waterway;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;manage traffic through the narrow waterway&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"> manage traffic through the narrow waterway<\/a>, an agreement won&#8217;t automatically unlock the strait. Instead, Iran insists the U.S. must first satisfy several conditions.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->On Saturday, Iran&#8217;s Supreme National Security Council called on the U.S. to lift its naval blockade, end sanctions, pull out its military from the region, pay war reparations, unfreeze Iranian assets, end attacks on Iran&#8217;s proxies, and stop threatening the country.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->To be sure, some of those demands may be intended to set the stage for future negotiations or aimed at mollifying Iranian hardliners who oppose making any deal with the U.S.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->But the aggressive initial stance dampens hopes that the strait will see traffic return to normal anytime soon or that the U.S. will stop applying economic pressure on Iran.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Despite the bravado expressed by top officials, anxiety about the economy persists after high inflation and a currency crash sparked nationwide protests that were put down by a brutal crackdown in January.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Regime moderates have grown more worried that the U.S. naval blockade that was recently reimposed is bringing Iran&#8217;s economy close to collapse, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-strait-of-hormuz-trump-talks-ec566cd7?mod=mhp\" data-ylk=\"slk:sources%20told%20the;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;sources told the&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">sources told the <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-strait-of-hormuz-trump-talks-ec566cd7?mod=mhp\" data-ylk=\"slk:Wall%20Street%20Journal;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Wall Street Journal&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><em>Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->That tracks with earlier reports about Iran&#8217;s president and central bank chief telling Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei the initial blockade was <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/07\/10\/us-naval-blockade-iranian-economy-trump-strait-of-hormuz-oil-exports-storage\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:crippling%20the%20economy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;crippling the economy&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">crippling the economy<\/a>.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->But moderates such as the president and others in favor of negotiating with the U.S. have come under withering criticism from hardliners. The tensions often play out publicly, even in state-run media.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->On Wednesday, Iran&#8217;s deputy foreign minister, who is also a top negotiator, said the economy desperately needs sanctions relief that a deal with the U.S. could provide, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/can-irans-diminished-diplomats-deliver-a-hormuz-deal-392ed258?mod=mhp\" data-ylk=\"slk:according%20to%20the;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;according to the&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">according to the <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/can-irans-diminished-diplomats-deliver-a-hormuz-deal-392ed258?mod=mhp\" data-ylk=\"slk:Journal;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Journal&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><em>Journal<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;When I read some of the opposition to negotiations, I honestly wonder what world these people are living in,&#8221; Kazem Gharibabadi told IRIB.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->And last month, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that mounting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iranintl.com\/en\/202607208679\" data-ylk=\"slk:economic%20pressure%20could%20fuel%20public%20discontent;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;economic pressure could fuel public discontent&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">economic pressure could fuel public discontent<\/a>.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Experts have cautioned that Iran&#8217;s repressive regime is unlikely to be swayed by the suffering of ordinary citizens and is prepared to wait out economic hardship longer than the U.S. public can endure high gas prices.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->But Iran also needs to get its oil through the Strait of Hormuz just like its neighbors do. On Saturday, U.S. Central Command said it has redirected 53 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two as part of its renewed blockade enforcement.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none\" data-testid=\"read-more\">\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->As a result, shipping and satellite data\u00a0show <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/6bc9c93d-1b75-4512-8bc2-ba33cc3c4a53?syn-25a6b1a6=1\" data-ylk=\"slk:no%20tankers%20have%20loaded%20at%20Kharg%20Island;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;no tankers have loaded at Kharg Island&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">no tankers have loaded at Kharg Island<\/a>, which handles nine out of every 10 barrels of Iranian oil exports, for at least a week.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Meanwhile, Iran&#8217;s inflation is worsening. Official data show it accelerated to an annual rate of\u00a088.6%\u00a0in late June, with southern provinces that saw the heaviest bombardment nearing 100% or more.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Unemployment has also jumped to 9.1%, and GDP is expected to shrink 5.4% this year. And despite its enormous energy reserves, the government has asked Iranians to ration electricity in extreme heat.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;The Islamic Republic\u00a0crushed\u00a0a nationwide\u00a0uprising\u00a0in January, has an economy in free fall, and is fighting a war with America. Its most dangerous front may prove to be the domestic one,&#8221; Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran expert at the Clingendael think tank, <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/07\/30\/iran-america-hormuz-forever-war\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:wrote%20in;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;wrote in&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">wrote in <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/07\/30\/iran-america-hormuz-forever-war\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Time;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Time&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><em>Time<\/em><\/a> last week.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->But Bijan Khajehpour, another Iran expert and the managing partner at consulting firm Eurasian Nexus Partners, doesn&#8217;t think Iran&#8217;s economy is headed for imminent collapse.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Households have served as &#8220;shock absorbers&#8221; by reducing consumption, postponing investment, working second jobs, relying on extended family, depleting savings, selling assets and receiving money from relatives abroad, he explained in a <a href=\"https:\/\/amwaj.media\/en\/article\/deep-dive-irans-economy-of-depletion\" data-ylk=\"slk:note%20on%20Friday;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;note on Friday&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">note on Friday<\/a>. Similarly, businesses also cut back and shrink rather than disappear.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->But Iran&#8217;s economic resilience doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s sustainable, he added, as the country&#8217;s infrastructure and human capital steadily deteriorate. For example, the agriculture sector has become more dynamic during the war because the economy has shifted toward subsistence and away from higher-productivity activity.<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->&#8220;A generation that postpones careers, emigrates or permanently disconnects from productive employment weakens a nation&#8217;s future capacity to innovate, invest and recover,&#8221; Khajehpour wrote. &#8220;The post-war labor market therefore provides perhaps the clearest evidence yet that the economy&#8217;s resilience is masking a gradual erosion of the very capacities required for future growth.&#8221;<!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->This story was originally featured on <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2026\/08\/08\/iran-economic-collapse-us-naval-blockade-hormuz-sanctions-relief\/\" data-ylk=\"slk:Fortune.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fortune.com&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Fortune.com<\/a><!-- HTML_TAG_END -->  <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sensing it has the upper hand, Iran issued a long list of maximalist demands before it reopens the Strait of Hormuz, even as officials in Tehran grow increasingly concerned about the shattered economy. While Iran and Oman have been in talks over how to manage traffic through the narrow waterway, an agreement won&#8217;t automatically unlock&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/38558F80700CE3E209CE340C8636276DDBE6B6B56ECA9795DB511DF667D3D1EF\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefill_w1200_h960;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffortune_175%2Fc2e9b85b80d98be3403557899864ff90","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}