The blockade proves the success of sanctions. If the U.S. keeps its chokehold, Tehran will likely break.

That is the argument in a new Wall Street Journal Markets opinion piece, which contends that many observers have the Iran war backward. Rather than showing that sanctions have failed, the blockade demonstrates that they are working.

The piece argues that the pressure campaign has been effective, and that if the U.S. maintains its chokehold, Tehran will likely break. The analysis suggests that the current strategy is achieving its intended goal, contrary to the view that the measures are ineffective.

According to the opinion, the key is whether Washington sustains the pressure. If it does, the Iranian regime may be forced to capitulate. The article frames the blockade not as a sign of failure, but as proof that sanctions are succeeding.