Trump Weighing Options for Iran, Including Blockade and High-Level Strikes

The US has engaged in a substantial military buildup in the Middle East over the past week

https://news.antiwar.com/2026/01/26/trump-weighing-options-for-iran-including-blockade-and-high-level-strikes/

by Kyle Anzalone | January 26, 2026 

President Donald Trump is considering a range of options to force regime change in Iran. 

According to Middle East Eye, Arab officials said that Washington is considering strikes against high-level targets in Tehran. A former US intelligence official familiar with the White House’s internal debate explained that President Donald Trump was still pushing for regime change. 

The Jerusalem Post reports that a second option is to impose a blockade on Iranian oil shipments. Trump ordered a similar embargo on Venezuelan oil last year. The US then seized several tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has pushed for Trump to use economic warfare to bring down the Iranian government. He believes that if the economic situation in the Islamic Republic becomes desperate enough, the Iranian people will overthrow their government. 

Other members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, have pushed the President to launch strikes targeting the Iranian government and military. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favors military action if it leads to the fall of the Iranian government. 

Earlier this month, Trump declined to strike Iran out of concern that the US did not have enough military assets in the Middle East to topple the government in Tehran. A former US official told Middle East Eye that they believe a strike on Iran is more likely now than earlier this month. 

The President has ordered a significant military buildup in the region that includes an aircraft carrier strike group, fighter jets, and advanced air defense systems.