The Telegraph: Washington and Tel Aviv Discuss Imposing a Land Blockade on Iran

London – Agencies: The British newspaper The Telegraph revealed that the United States and Israel are considering imposing a land blockade on Iran, as part of a range of options being discussed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to increase economic pressure on Tehran. According to the newspaper, Trump and Netanyahu discussed during their meeting on Tuesday ways to tighten pressure on Iran “by military and non-military means,” as part of a new escalation strategy. The potential plan involves pressuring Iran’s neighboring countries and regional partners to tighten border controls or close them, thereby restricting the movement of Iranian imports and exports. The newspaper quoted a senior Israeli official as saying, “What if you close the land borders? Let’s assume Iran cannot bring anything in or take anything out. Then everything will happen,” noting that this proposal represents one of the options discussed by both sides.

The newspaper observed that implementing such a plan would face enormous challenges, given the extensive land borders connecting Iran with Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, requiring cooperation from these countries despite the fact that many of them are not allies of Washington or Tel Aviv. It quoted retired U.S. General Sean MacFarland as saying that imposing a land blockade “is almost impossible,” but he argued that depriving Iran of its ability to trade would lead to its economic isolation, adding that this approach “must include military elements.” He also noted that the close ties between Iran and Iraq make it extremely difficult to halt the flow of support across the border. The blockade could target key crossings such as Incheh Borun and Sarakhs on the border with Turkmenistan, aiming to limit Iran’s capacity to rearm itself.