Columnist Bret Stephens outlines a stringent path for a potential Trump administration to resolve the standoff with Iran, echoing the President's stated "all or nothing" policy regarding the Strait of Hormuz. This strategy centers on forcing Tehran to choose between economic survival and its nuclear ambitions, effectively demanding full compliance with international norms.

Domestically, Iran's central bank forecasts severe economic damage from any sustained blockade, predicting up to 180 percent inflation and millions more jobless if oil exports cease. Stephens suggests the U.S. should escalate pressure by threatening the destruction of key energy facilities, such as those on Kharg Island, if Iran tests the naval cordon.

Further policy suggestions involve breaking the regime’s information control by restoring funding to outlets like Radio Farda and increasing access to terminals like Starlink. Crucially, the proposed policy warns Tehran against violently suppressing internal dissent, suggesting U.S. military intervention as a deterrent against future crackdowns on protesters.

Finally, Stephens proposes a grand bargain: full sanctions relief and diplomatic normalization for Iran abandoning regional proxy support and nuclear development—a deal the author believes the current ideological leaders will reject. Accepting such terms would signal a fundamentally different regime willing to operate as a normal state.