Can a blockade really bend Iran to Trump’s will?

Trump rolled out another blockade recently—this time against Iran. It wasn’t totally out of left field. The U. S. has tried the same playbook before, squeezing Venezuela and Cuba. Now Iran is in the crosshairs. But ironing out Iran won’t be a quick win. The real spark? The Strait of Hormuz. Before the recent clash, ships moved through without issues. But Iran shut it down after the U. S. and Israel struck two months ago. That bottleneck matters because the strait carries almost a fifth of the world’s oil. Trump wants that reopened and Iran to surrender. A blockade sounds tough, but it won’t work like a knockout punch.Blockades aren’t a fast solution. History shows they drag on. During the Civil War, Lincoln locked down Southern ports. Exports of cotton crashed, and the South’s economy took a hit. But the war dragged on for four long years. A century later, Britain blockaded Germany in World War I. Groceries, medicine, and weapons dried up. That hurt civilians and soldiers alike. Germany still didn’t buckle until the war ended in 1918. Iran isn’t South or Germany. It’s got a smaller economy and has already proven it can tough out heavy pressure. Sure, a blockade would sting. But it won’t force Iran to quit anytime soon.