Published: August 19, 2026 1:55 am
Author: RT
The US president has reportedly shifted to a strategy of attrition aimed at “strangling” Tehran over time
The US has suspended negotiations with Iran and is seeking to gradually “strangle” the country, CNN reported on Tuesday, after its bombing campaign near the Strait of Hormuz failed to yield the desired results.
The US abruptly halted its most recent wave of strikes late last month amid reports that the war, launched on February 28, has largely depleted its stockpiles of precision munitions and interceptor missiles. Top brass also reportedly warned President Donald Trump that the military had exhausted its list of targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
White House officials reportedly told political allies that they were changing strategy in what a CNN source described as “going from ‘hammer Iran ASAP’ to ‘strangle them’ over time.”
According to the outlet, Trump instructed his negotiators, including Vice President J.D. Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to halt talks with Tehran.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, adding that the US blockade of Iranian ports remained “in full force and effect.”
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