The United States and Israel have devised a tough strategy to counter Iran! According to foreign media reports on July 31, after months of war failed to compel Tehran to return to negotiations, the U.S. and Israel are considering imposing a land blockade on Iran. The plan aims to intensify economic pressure by encouraging Iran’s neighboring countries—including Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan—to restrict border crossings, thereby limiting Iran’s imports and exports.
It must be acknowledged that if this plan were implemented, it would indeed be a devastating blow to Iran. The reality is clear: the U.S. is already effectively conducting a maritime blockade against Iran. If a land blockade were also enforced, Iran’s export routes for oil, minerals, and other goods via land to neighboring countries would be completely cut off, while Iran would be unable to import essential supplies such as food, medicine, and industrial components from its neighbors. This “sea blockade, land encirclement” strategy would deal a severe blow to Iran’s fiscal revenue, industrial operations, and people’s livelihoods.
Naturally, whether the U.S. and Israel are willing to pursue this plan is one matter; whether they can actually implement it is another. In fact, the seven neighboring countries singled out by the U.S. are all closely tied to Iran. Closing borders runs directly against their own interests, and they lack motivation to cooperate voluntarily. Iraq, a Shia-majority nation, shares deep religious, geopolitical, and economic ties with Iran—its land trade, energy exchanges, and daily supply chains heavily depend on Iranian transit routes. Shutting down borders would immediately jeopardize domestic supply chains and regional stability.
Pakistan has long relied on Iran for electricity imports and is advancing cross-border natural gas pipeline projects. Moreover, the land corridor through Iran serves as a crucial shortcut for Pakistan’s access to Central Asia. Cutting off these connections would essentially strangle Pakistan’s development pathways. Meanwhile, Turkey, which leads the “Middle Corridor” Eurasian trade initiative, depends heavily on Iran as a key node along this overland artery. A significant portion of Turkey’s agricultural products and industrial raw materials rely on transit through Iran. Clearly, while the U.S. might exert pressure, completely severing trade is entirely unrealistic. Furthermore, even if these countries fear offending the U.S., the U.S. has no real capability to verify how effectively such a blockade could be enforced.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872249403623424/
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