Trump Turns to Sanctions as His Iran War Strategy Hits a Wall

President Donald Trump is changing his plan for ending the war with Iran. Instead of relying on bombing, he now wants to use economic pressure to force Iran's leaders to give up their nuclear program. The shift comes after months of fighting, stalled peace talks, and growing concerns that the U.S. is running low on key weapons. Trump says the pressure will eventually lead to a deal.

Trump said Iran has been asking for money as part of any peace deal, so he announced the U.S. would demand compensation too. He argued that Iran is close to a financial collapse, even though the country has survived decades of tough economic penalties called sanctions. Sanctions are rules that stop other countries from doing business with a nation, slowly hurting its economy. Trump believes this strategy can still force a breakthrough.

A former top Air Force official is now planning to take the Trump administration to court. Frank Kendall, who ran the Air Force under President Biden, says his security clearance was revoked last Friday. A security clearance is special permission that allows people to see secret government information. The administration claimed Kendall shared sensitive details about a jet from Qatar that is now used as Air Force One.

Kendall denied sharing any classified information and said he will sue the administration. He told CNN that the administration punishes critics by taking away their clearances. 'As my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies,' Kendall said. A well-known national security lawyer named Mark Zaid confirmed he is now representing Kendall.

Trump's media company is also making big changes. The company, Trump Media & Technology, runs Truth Social, which Trump created after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook. When those platforms let him back, Truth Social had to find new ways to stay popular. It tried expanding into online betting, investing, Bitcoin, and nuclear energy, but none of those moves helped its stock price.

On Monday, company leaders told investors they are cutting many side businesses and refocusing on media. The new plan involves selling a kind of White House access, where subscribers can get early news from the president. Democrats and government watchdogs have raised serious ethical questions about this approach. They worry it is not right for a president's company to profit from White House information.

The Washington Post also reported a secret travel story involving Trump's safety. When Trump left last month's NATO summit in Turkey, he quietly flew home on a different plane than expected. Journalists and some White House staff were led to believe they were on the same aircraft as the president. The switch was reportedly made because of an assassination threat from Iran.

The Post said Trump flew on a third aircraft while it looked like he left on the famous blue-and-white Air Force One. The White House did not directly answer questions about the report. The Associated Press said it has not independently confirmed the story. If true, the operation shows how seriously U.S. officials are taking threats against the president during the conflict with Iran.