Opinion

Trump’s pressure campaign has Iran reeling. America can’t hesitate now

Millions of barrels of oil are moving through the strait as Operation Epic Fury degrades Iranian military capabilities

By Rebeccah Heinrichs Fox News

Published September 9, 2026 10:00am EDT

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Iranian officials claim the regime is "confident" and are considering escalation against the United States. Iran may indeed lash out, but it would be coming from a place of desperation, not strength. On Saturday, Sept. 5, U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian tankers. "Let ‌the message to the IRGC be clear: ‌If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost — ⁠taking out⁠ three of yours," said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command. Three days later, U.S. Central Command said it destroyed five more tankers, after the IRGC "targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days."

President Donald Trump has chosen to crush the Iranian regime economically, but U.S. military strikes (that are hitting their intended targets at an astoundingly near-perfect success rate) continue to play a major role. The combination of the blockade, sanctions and periodic punishing strikes has crippled the Iranian regime’s ability to impose much harm to the United States or its allies. The current course is not a permanent solution to the Iranian regime problem, but the United States is winning, and the public narrative should reflect that.

The U.S. strikes were in response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) failed attempts to hit U.S. Navy ships. U.S. officials told reporters last week that half of the 25 ballistic missiles Iran fired toward Jordan failed to so much as enter Jordanian airspace.

TRUMP........

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