Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17865792740441786579271468.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"></span></span></span></div><p>US President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 27, 2026. Kent Nishimura, AFP/File</p><div><br/></div>Keeping a low profile doesn&#x27;t come naturally to Donald Trump.<p>Yet that is the strategy the American president says he now favors in the war against Iran, and he is betting on economic pressure over diplomacy or new strikes.</p><p>&quot;We are low-keying it,&quot; Trump told news site Axios by phone Sunday.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/13/trump-says-us-will-keep-hormuz-strait-control-0042">Trump says US will &#x27;keep&#x27; Hormuz strait control</a></div><p>The billionaire has since repeated that he is keeping the option of striking Tehran on the table, but prefers to stress the economic damage inflicted on the country through economic sanctions.</p><p>&quot;Iran is broke, totally broke and they&#x27;re not paying their soldiers,&quot; Trump said Monday in the Oval Office.</p><p>He has repeatedly claimed, most recently in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, that the country is experiencing inflation of over 300 percent.</p><p>He also claimed there is no urgency to act because the United States has &quot;total control&quot; of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for the oil trade that has become the geopolitical flashpoint of the conflict.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/12/why-the-middle-east-war-still-convulses-the-oil-market-0757">Why the Middle East war still convulses the oil market</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;TERRIBLE SHAPE&#x27; </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In reality, Tehran is locking down the strategic passage while Washington is imposing its own blockade on Iranian ports.</p><p>&quot;Iran is in terrible shape economically. It can’t ship oil at any meaningful level. And it still labors under sanctions and still can’t access its overseas assets,&quot; said Michael O&#x27;Hanlon, an expert from the Brookings Institution think tank.</p><p>&quot;The question is, do its leaders really care? I think they care some, but not a lot.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/3/trump-says-new-iran-talks-set-to-start-after-calling-off-massive-attack-0812">Trump says new Iran talks set to start after calling off massive attack</a></div><p>The mercurial American president has, for the moment, muted both his threats of apocalyptic strikes and promises of imminent diplomatic breakthroughs -- messages that have been in constant rotation since he launched the war with Israel more than five months ago.</p><p>At the end of July, Washington announced new measures targeting Iran&#x27;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of the Iranian military.</p><p>The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump&#x27;s advisors have shown him data on the impact of American sanctions, which he is now reportedly considering tightening while he also mulls imposing new strictures.</p><p>That could be a tactical shift for an American president who, until recently, was<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/4/trump-says-iran-facing-last-chance-before-decapitation-0851"> threatening to unleash the most devastating strikes since World War II against Iran.</a></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/8/9/iran-guards-say-won-t-reopen-hormuz-without-us-meeting-all-tehran-s-conditions-1821">Iran Guards say won&#x27;t reopen Hormuz without US meeting all Tehran&#x27;s conditions</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>CHESS MATCH</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The shift may also indicate the limited military options left available to the United States, where the press has reported that American munitions stockpiles have been heavily depleted.</p><p>Iran&#x27;s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the fresh push for sanctions a &quot;retreat,&quot; noting the country has withstood US sanctions for decades.</p><p>&quot;Whenever Washington proves itself incapable of pursuing diplomacy it retreats into sanctions; and whenever those sanctions fail to produce results, it simply increases the dose,&quot; Baqaei said in an X post this week.</p><p>&quot;The real risk is that American politicians, clinging to this habit, will instead strangle their own remaining chances of a less humiliating exit from a crisis of their own making.&quot;</p><p>What remains to be seen is whether notoriously impatient Trump, who prefers the spectacle of combat sports like MMA and flashy &quot;deals,&quot; will be able to stay true to the long-term strategy of economic pressure.</p><p>In his interview with Axios, Trump compared the conflict with Iran to a game of chess.</p><p>&quot;Iranians have shown they are professional chess players,&quot; Baqaei told reporters in response to the comment.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lX85z4Ikgpc?&amp;pp=0gcJCc0LAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Keeping a low profile doesn't come naturally to Donald Trump. Yet that is the strategy the American president says he now favors in the war against Iran, and he is betting on economic pressure over diplomacy or new strikes.</p>

Keeping a low profile doesn't come naturally to Donald Trump. Yet that is the strategy the American president says he now favors in the war against Iran, and he is betting on economic pressure over diplomacy or new strikes.

Trump 'low-key' bets on economic pressure against Iran

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

World

Trump 'low-key' bets on economic pressure against Iran

Agence France-Presse

Published August 13, 2026 08:03 AM PHT

Read More:

ANC promo

Israel

war

US

Trump

Iran

oil

fuel

diesel

gasoline

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

Haven't received our newsletter?

Check your inbox to verify and confirm your subscription.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.