Former Treasury sanctions official says pressure, not war, is the answer on Iran

A former Treasury sanctions strategist says the United States can weaken Iran through tighter economic pressure instead of another military conflict. The interview also highlights Tehran’s shadow oil fleet and the role of sanctions enforcement in cutting off regime revenue.

Why it matters: - Miad Maleki, a former senior U.S. Treasury sanctions official, argues the Trump administration could weaken Iran without launching another war. - The approach matters because Maleki says military conflict could help Tehran justify crackdowns at home and preserve its hold on power. - The interview focuses on a central U.S. policy question: whether economic pressure can do more damage to Iran’s regime than strikes or fresh negotiations.

What happened: - Breaking Battlegrounds aired a special interview with Chuck Warren and Miad Maleki, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. - Maleki discussed Iran policy, sanctions enforcement, and the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign. - The episode was recorded in Phoenix and promoted as a deep look at Trump’s options against Iran.

The details: - Maleki helped design and implement major U.S. sanctions campaigns, including the Trump administration’s maximum pressure strategy against Iran. - Maleki said the Islamic Republic benefits from periods of conflict because external threats can be used to justify domestic repression and distract from economic failures. - Maleki urged the United States to keep sanctions and restrictions on Iranian oil exports in place rather than rush into military strikes. - He said, “Don’t give them that war, keep the blockade and sanctions in place.” - Maleki described Iran’s shadow fleet as a network of aging oil tankers used to move sanctioned petroleum through deceptive shipping practices. - The vessels can operate under questionable documentation, hide their movements, and help sanctioned regimes move oil. - Maleki proposed working with vessel owners to shift tankers into legitimate commercial use and out of Iran’s sanctions-evasion network. - He said the goal is to deprive Tehran of the infrastructure it uses to profit from illicit oil exports. - Before joining FDD, Maleki served as Associate Director for the Treasury’s Office of Global Targeting at OFAC. - In that role, Maleki oversaw sanctions and investigations tied to terrorism, narcotics trafficking, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. - Maleki also discussed how U.S. sanctions work and why access to the American dollar remains a powerful foreign policy tool. - The episode says stronger enforcement can increase pressure on adversaries without eroding long-term U.S. economic influence. - The release includes Maleki’s X account: @miadmaleki. - Breaking Battlegrounds is available on YouTube, Substack, Rumble, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.

Between the lines: - Maleki’s argument reflects a broader debate inside Washington over whether sanctions can still change state behavior when military escalation could strengthen hardliners. - The focus on tankers and shipping networks shows how much of the Iran pressure campaign depends on enforcement details, not just headline sanctions. - The interview positions economic warfare as a lower-risk alternative to direct military conflict, while still aiming to cut off regime revenue.

What's next: - The interview points to continued pressure on Iran’s oil exports and sanctions-evasion networks if Trump chooses an economic strategy over military action. - The discussion suggests the next phase of U.S. policy could focus on enforcement, vessel ownership, and maritime tracking rather than battlefield escalation. - Breaking Battlegrounds says the full conversation is available across its podcast and video channels.

The bottom line: - Maleki’s message is simple: sustained sanctions may be able to squeeze Iran’s regime harder than another round of war.