World leaders are arriving in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly. All eyes are on Washington’s next move regarding Tehran. Seven months into a naval conflict sparked by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the administration holds all the leverage. The question is no longer whether American pressure is working. The question is how President Donald Trump will deploy his upper hand. He can let the economic stranglehold break the regime, or he can authorize a decisive military strike to finish the job.

This position is the direct result of a return to maximum economic warfare. On Friday, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. This law expands statutory sanctions and gives the White House massive tariff powers to punish foreign entities that deal with Tehran. The legislative hammer reinforces the Treasury Department’s active “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign. This operation targets the financial networks Iran uses to smuggle oil and evade international restrictions.