Peloni: Take note:
“Impoverishing Iran is not a victory. An authoritarian regime can ruin its country while retaining enough resources to protect those who keep it in power. Maximum pressure on the regime must therefore be matched by maximum support for the Iranian people.
That means preparing, before the next wave of protests, the tools needed to circumvent internet shutdowns, support independent Persian-language media, sanction those responsible for repression, and encourage defections from the security forces.”
The clock is ticking, and the economic leash is tightening around Iran, but the real threat to the regime remains to be with the will of the people of Iran. As is true of all regimes, the stability of the ruling govt requires a quiescent public, regardless of the tactics required to maintain it. Until the established balance between a fearful public and their despotic overlords is destabilized, the regime in Iran will remain. This is why Trump has been calling for the Iranian people to return to the streets. Until, and unless, they do return to the streets, US victory and a free Iran will remain elusive, with only Iran’s diminishing efforts on the Strait of Hormuz remaining to drive up energy costs to the extent they are able to do so. It is a geostrategic game of chicken in which the victor will be incredibly strengthened. America can not afford to lose this battle, but it ironically needs the support of the Iranian people to ultimately win.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen | September 4, 2026
*This article was originally published in French
IRGC attack on Vessels Defying Iranian Tariffs on Strait of Hormuz. Screenshot via X
In Europe, and especially in France, the verdict seems to be in. The United States, we are told, has pursued a strategy toward Iran that is as brutal as it is ineffective. It is bogged down in the Strait of Hormuz, unable to force an Iranian surrender, while Europeans bear much of the bill in higher energy costs, disrupted trade, and a renewed risk of escalation.
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