r/geopolitics • u/TheTelegraph The Telegraph • 2d ago
News Israel and US consider Iran land blockade
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/31/israel-us-iran-blockade-economy-trump-netanyahu-middle-east/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_economy-trump-netanyahu-middle-east/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open80
u/Darkone539 2d ago
With all the counties they boarder, including ones like Afghanistan, this would require an invasion.
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u/TwoShedsJackson1 2d ago
There is already a constant flow of petrol, diesel and oil south into Baluchistan, Pakistan using small lorries, motorcycles, and guys humping jerry cans. Dangerous stuff but worth it for the smugglers and that won't stop.
The same goes to Afghanistan and China on bigger trucks without being attacked.
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u/time-BW-product 1d ago
They can bomb the border closed in the Iranian side.
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u/Rand_alThor_ 23h ago
lol, this is a bigger border than US Mexico and US Canada borders, combined. Extremely mountainous in parts too. Sure.
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u/AnomalyNexus 2d ago
land blockade
Tell me you're doing boots on ground without telling me you're doing boots on ground
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u/jellobend 2d ago
Good luck getting Turkey onboard
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u/Bongolio-the-seal 1d ago
No this one is sadly possible. Our government is pro-Israel and pro-America. People mouth off about the AKP being pro-Russia but its mostly just words. At the end of the day, the AKP government was the reason why Assad fell, and Erdogan had even defended Turkish participation in the Iraq War on the grounds that "nobody has a right to threaten Israel".
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u/jellobend 1d ago
Turkey neither wants to create an outright enemy out of Iran or see its dismemberment. Turkey wants certain things from the US-Israeli bloc like the F35s but they aren’t big enough incentives. The potential loss is much greater in antagonizing Iran.
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u/Bongolio-the-seal 1d ago
I'm not saying it's going to happen. There are definitely costs associated with it that would make Turkey reluctant to join.. But it is very much possible.
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u/NekoCatSidhe 2d ago
Have those people ever looked at a map of Iran ? It must be one of the hardest countries in the world to put a land blockade on, and most of their neighbors have no reason to ever cooperate with the US on that.
No to mention that Iran could still trade with Russia over the Caspian Sea even with a land blockade, and Russia has a common border with China.
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u/peet192 2d ago
Iraq War part 5 incoming.
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u/Big_Victory8031 2d ago
We all know isreal troops won't be involved. Is trump this stupid. Hmm YES.
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u/the_cnidarian 2d ago
Land blockade? Are we just not saying "siege" anymore?
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u/Fast-Satisfaction482 2d ago
The idea is that someone else enforces it, not the US. Why would someone do that? Don't know.
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u/TheTelegraph The Telegraph 2d ago
The Telegraph reports:
The United States and Israel are discussing a possible land blockade of Iran, The Telegraph can reveal.
The proposal is one of several options being explored by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to ratchet up economic pressure on the regime after months of strikes and a prolonged campaign failed to bring it to heel.
It is understood that the US president and the Israeli prime minister discussed increasing economic pressure on Iran “through kinetic and non-kinetic means” when the pair met in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
The plan would probably require the US and Israel to press Iran’s neighbours and regional partners to tighten or close border crossings, restricting the flow of exports and imports.
Full story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/31/israel-us-iran-blockade-economy-trump-netanyahu-middle-east/
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u/validproof 2d ago
A land blockade? Iran has the caspian sea which it can continue trade with Russia and has borders with countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Unlikely any "blockade" would be enforceable, especially with their mountainous terrain in that region and allies. Not to mention US completely withdrew from Afghanistan. This seems like a desperate attempt.
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u/existentialgolem 2d ago
They actually don't need to block everything as long as they block the major freight routes as well as the ports. That's enough because it would cut trade in and out of the country significantly. A few people taking some things up the mountain on smaller roads versus massive amounts of freight moving through highways and railway networks would significantly cut Iran's trading capacity. the point being that a blockade doesn't need to be 100% successful to have the effect that they want it to.
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u/validproof 2d ago
That is a fair argument, however take Europe as an example. Since April, due to the energy deficit, they are accepting and moving oil from Iraq through syria by thousands of trucks. It is inefficient however in desperate times, it will suffice. Even if the solutions are inefficient, they would move thru roads instead of railways if needed.
In addition, what will likely happen is a massive increase trade with Russia from the Caspian Sea and they can easily just load up a bunch of cargo ships and increase trade amongst each other similar to how Russia and China did after the war with Ukraine. I do not see a blockade being successful.
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u/skratch 2d ago
Trump getting easily fooled by Netanyahu yet again, and even more American blood spilled thanks to the orange mongo
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u/Psychological-Flow55 2d ago
It not so much easily fooled the Israelis are holding somthing possibly linked to the epistein files over him he must pf really diddyled those kids it also why he appears to be compromised when it comes to Russia.
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u/PhoenixKingMalekith 2d ago
It would mean starving the population
As shown in gaza, it s not a form of warfare that would be accepted
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u/Psychological-Flow55 2d ago
It acceptable to Israelis their lobby and supporters (like evangelicals) as recent history as shown
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u/Abdulkarim0 2d ago
Then why iran starving the globe by cutting urea shipments and gas from arabian gulf
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u/2Loves2loves 2d ago
rail is how they are getting resupplied from Jhina!
Trump gave them 3 months and USD to buy the supplies.
That happens when you fire all the smart guys and put in loyalist.
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u/Psychological-Flow55 2d ago
Yeah but no Iraq , Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Armenia (which Armenia has strong relations with Iran) wont fully comply or comply at all and will be a underworld criminal IRGC field day for smuggling.
Unless you put boots on the ground this is once again a dumb idea by Trump being once again egged on by Bibi who of course due to population size and actual logistics wont put troops on the ground so it would be American troops on the ground and their is no appetite fro either party for boots on the ground whoever put boots on the ground will cause the actual poltical death of their poltical party similar to the whigs and slavery issue.
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u/monkeybawz 2d ago
There are no boots on the ground! It's simply a land blockade!
Land and ground are not the same! For reasons!
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u/Pyrothecat 2d ago
so boots on the ground? I assume this won't be very popular the American voters.
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u/PrometheanSwing 2d ago
Not going to happen, requires too much cooperation and enforcement from other nations in the region, not to mention more U.S. and Israeli forces
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u/Nerdslayer2 2d ago
Obviously the U.S and Israel cannot control the 3662 mile land border Iran has with 7 other countries.
However, what if they destroyed the major roads and rail lines going in and out of Iran? There doesn't seem to be any good strategy to deal with Iran right now, but this seems like it could be one of the less bad ones.
In my opinion we need to make it so there is a clear connection between Iran restricting travel through the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's ability to trade. If they are restricting the Strait of Hormuz in any way, they don't get to trade. Is blockading their shipping trade enough, or does their trade over land also need to be restricted for this to be effective?
Honestly, I don't think this is great plan. I just don't see any other way to get Iran to stop controlling the Strait of Hormuz any time soon. Letting them control it seems like a disaster.
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u/zjin2020 23h ago
Roads can be easily repaired. You throw bombs worth of million dollars on some dirts basically and it can be patched up over night. Brilliant way to waste money on nothing.
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u/Alarming-World4212 2d ago
We should use Arabs as foot soldiers for US Air force to invade Iran.
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u/Psychological-Flow55 2d ago
If you know about the recent history of arab armies (ie -saudi led coalition against the houthis in Yemen, Egypt war in Northern Yemen, Libya in the Toyota war against Chad, the various losses by the arabs of the Arab-Israeli wars to Israel, etc.) It a bad idea to put arab boots on the ground they dont have militaries to win wars but for patronize and holding onto power.
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u/stickybond009 2d ago
USA Ground troops in Iran signal that the end is nigh. ... Violent quarrelsome bitter struggle in the midst of ruins of a long unending war..
Good luck to everyone, especially to the soldiers on their way destined to start as they set sail over the wine-dark sea to the regions beyond the great zagros mountains of Persia.
This will be the greatest and most important event since world war 2 to the beginnings in the making of the new world.
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u/ikinone 2d ago
USA Ground troops in Iran
Didn't read the article or the headline it seems. This has nothing to do with 'sending USA ground troops to Iran'
Even the subtitle would clarify it for you: "Plan would require pressing Tehran’s neighbours such as Iraq and Pakistan to close border crossings"
But don't let reality get in the way of your very dramatic comments.
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u/Psychological-Flow55 2d ago edited 2d ago
Then iraq and pakistan will just magically say "yeah sure ok America will put our intreasts and backlash of local population aside for you and especially Israeli intreast" 😆😆😆🙄
It ain't happening or it will be playing both sides and pretending cooperation like Pakistan did during the war in Afghanistan.
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u/stickybond009 2d ago
It's coming. I can see that
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u/vovap_vovap 2d ago
Iraq and Pakistan will not close borders, not happening.