Trump's Economic D-Day: A New Phase in the US-Iran Conflict?

US President Donald Trump's vow of an 'economic D-Day' against Iran has raised questions about its effectiveness, given the country's history of adapting to economic pressure.

The conflict between the US and Iran appears to be at a standstill, with no clear military victory or negotiated settlement in sight. To break the deadlock, Trump has promised that any country doing business with Iran will face 'tremendous' economic consequences.

Iran has faced significant US sanctions since nearly the beginning of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The current conflict has seen the US government announce Operation Economic Fury, a two-pronged campaign combining US Treasury-co-ordinated sanctions against regime financial flows and a naval blockade against Iranian ports.

Experts are divided on whether further economic pressure will work where other strategies have failed. Some believe that Iran's ability to evade or avoid sanctions is contingent on other countries' willingness to comply with US foreign policy objectives or face potentially painful sanctions on trade involving the US dollar.