Former Pentagon deputy assistant secretary of defense Michael Mulroy said a new
U.S. sanctions package is designed to reach well beyond Iran, using secondary
sanctions on countries, institutions and entities that trade with or process
financial transactions for Iran. He said Washington is also targeting shadow
tanker fleets and other infrastructure used to smuggle Iranian oil and evade
sanctions. Mulroy warned the measures are unlikely to overthrow the Iranian
regime but will inflict major damage on Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) by cutting off funding. He linked the choice of sanctions over
military escalation to U.S. domestic timing ahead of the midterm elections and
said the confrontation could escalate to military action if Iran attacks
regional allies or U.S. targets.
