Trump Truly Frustrated at Not Yet Winning Against Iran, Here Is the Proof
The latest escalation between the United States (US) and Iran is seen as reflecting Washington’s growing frustration over the slow impact of economic sanctions used to pressure Tehran. Earlier, on Sunday, it was reported how the US attacked Iran, destroying two of Tehran’s rocket launchers on Larak Island as the country prepared to fire mine-laden rockets into the Strait of Hormuz.
The strike was the first US military action publicly acknowledged by Washington since late July, ending a pause in direct combat of about one month. Iran retaliated within hours by launching eight missiles at the King Hussein and Al Azraq air bases in Jordan, which the Amman government claimed were successfully intercepted by its air defence systems.
Maritime security analyst Ian Ralby assessed that the move could be a sign that the US wants to break the deadlock after economic pressure has not produced the expected changes. According to Ralby, the strike on Larak was likely more an attempt to change a stagnant situation than a sign of a wholesale shift in US strategy.
“It could be that the financial pressure has not been able to change Iran’s behaviour to the level anticipated by the US,” Ralby said, as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday (1/9/2026).
“The existing status quo has become somewhat stagnant, and I believe the US wants to see a change in that situation,” he said.
Tensions have also risen further after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub. However, Ralby assessed that the threat was likely just rhetoric because an attack on the island risks destroying energy infrastructure as well as cultural heritage sites.
Iran itself is expected to avoid direct confrontation with US forces, instead choosing retaliation through partner groups and pressure on shipping and energy.
“The key to this conflict from the outset has been its asymmetric nature,” Ralby said, assessing that Iran is able to use limited physical force to create a far greater impact of damage.
Another analyst, Michael Ratney of the Center for Strategic & International Studies, said the same. Going forward, he said, risks to trade routes are also increasing after the Houthi group became re-engaged in the conflict.
The Houthis are Iran’s allies in Yemen who form an anti-government militia. He said the US and its allies could face a situation where the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, two strategic shipping lanes, become “vulnerable to manipulation by Iran and its partners”.
Meanwhile, Rystad Energy chief economist Claudio Galimberti estimated that the latest US strike caused the roughly 7 million barrels of oil per day still being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz last week to decline. The US strike on Larak is said to be able to disrupt the recovery of those flows.
“It is estimated that shipping flows in the coming days may decline, so a price increase is almost certain to occur,” he said.
On the other hand, the US is reported to be able to use nuclear weapons against Iran after failing to topple the country’s leadership by “conventional” means. This option of a mass-destruction strike emerged after Washington was judged to be starting to be overwhelmed in facing Tehran’s defences on the battlefield.
Quoting Russia Today (RT), the grim warning was made by former US presidential counterterrorism adviser Joe Kent to podcaster Tucker Carlson. In April, Trump had indeed threatened that Iran’s entire civilisation would die unless they submitted to Washington’s demands, including threats to wipe out civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges.
“We would be foolish to think that this cannot happen here, in the current scenario, especially as the (Trump) administration looks for a way out,” he said bluntly, describing the nuclear option as something very realistic for the US military at present.
Kent noted that Trump has failed to achieve any of his goals in the conflict with Iran, despite having deployed all of America’s military and economic capabilities. According to him, if Washington insists on removing Iran’s leadership from power to force total surrender, only two options remain: a full-scale ground operation or a nuclear strike.
“If you play this scenario out long enough, you arrive at weapons of mass destruction fairly quickly,” he explained, saying that a ground operation is considered completely unfeasible given Iran’s vast territory and population.
Furthermore, he speculated that Washington could hypothetically choose a limited nuclear strike specifically targeting underground uranium enrichment facilities hidden in Iran’s mountainous regions. This warning came after the US suddenly suspended its latest wave of strikes against Iran at the end of last month, amid a flood of media reports that the Pentagon had run out of precision-guided munitions and interceptor missiles. Trump and several senior US officials immediately denied the claims.
However, in a tactical shift, Trump last week suddenly announced the start of a devastating economic operation against Iran, which he dubbed “Economic D-Day”. A few days later, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent launched a series of new sanctions against Tehran targeting nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels across multiple jurisdictions, including 21 based in China.
Bessent explained that the aggressive move aims to make Iran an economic pariah by punishing countries that refuse to sever ties. “Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the US dollar system,” he stressed.