US President Donald Trump has threatened what he described as a “full-scale economic war” against Iran, but questions remain over whether new sanctions can place meaningful pressure on Tehran. Mark Fiefl, a former US national security adviser and president of Off the Record Strategies, said sanctions alone may not be sufficient to force Iran to yield.

In an analysis to Al Jazeera from Washington, Fiefl said isolated sanctions and threats issued on social media would make it difficult to pressure Iran effectively. He argued that the entire US government would need to pursue a coordinated strategy rather than impose successive measures without broader alignment.

Fiefl said the central issue is Iran’s nuclear and military capacity. He argued that sanctions would remain of uncertain effectiveness if Iran retains uranium, continues its missile program, and maintains funding for regional proxies. According to his assessment, Washington would need a policy targeting Iran’s economic capacity, uranium stockpile, missile program and proxy financing simultaneously. The effectiveness of Trump’s threat, he said, will depend on how planned and coordinated US pressure is.