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Tehran Is Betting Its "Resistance Economy" Can Outlast U.S. Pressure
(Ha'aretz) Zvi Bar'el - Trump's decision to return to a "maximum pressure" policy on Iran by imposing a maritime blockade on Iranian oil exports has opened a new path of confrontation, in which the outcome will be determined by each side's capacity to absorb pressure. The working U.S. assumption is that a complete halt of Iranian oil exports - which account for 35-45% of its revenues - will push the regime to reconsider its priorities. In the Islamic Republic's view, Iran has created a balance of terror and military deterrence by turning Gulf states into targets of its attacks and by closing off the Strait of Hormuz. In its assessment, this has produced a symmetry of power and threat.