{"id":938,"date":"2026-06-19T15:38:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=938"},"modified":"2026-06-19T15:38:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T15:38:45","slug":"analysis-a-confident-iran-is-pressing-its-advantage-but-challenges-loom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=938","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: A confident Iran is pressing its advantage, but challenges loom"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 As Iranian media boast of the \u201cmagnificent defeat\u201d of the United States, Tehran is pressing its advantage, racing to sell oil under the interim peace agreement<\/span> signed this week and trying to halt Israeli attacks in Lebanon<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Read more Photos show opening day at the Obama Presidential Center<\/a><\/p>\n

But the Islamic Republic suffered its own major blows and faces challenges ahead. Its economy is in shambles<\/span> after the war, the country was rocked by mass protests in January<\/span>, and its supreme leader has yet to appear in public. It is entering nuclear talks with the U.S. after coming under attack during two previous rounds.<\/p>\n

The deal<\/span> offers desperately needed sanctions relief, much of which will come only if Iran rolls back its nuclear program, including at a minimum diluting its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. That concession has angered Iranian hard-liners. The U.S. is meanwhile demanding it cease enrichment entirely<\/span>, something Iran has staunchly refused for decades.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s leaders are projecting confidence, having clung to power despite weeks of heavy U.S. and Israeli strikes. They also believe U.S. President Donald Trump<\/span> is unlikely to carry out threats to resume the war because of Iran\u2019s demonstrated ability to close the Strait of Hormuz<\/span> and damage the world economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too much to say that Iran has emerged a victor, but it could have been much worse,\u201d said Farzan Sabet, an Iran expert at the Geneva Graduate Institute think tank. \u201cI think that the real victory for Iran was \u2026 survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deal offers financial benefits<\/h2>\n

Under the interim deal, the U.S. is to issue waivers to allow for the export of Iranian crude oil. At least three state-owned Iranian oil tankers have already set sail as the U.S. has lifted its blockade, according to Lloyd\u2019s List Intelligence.<\/p>\n

Iran has exported nearly 18 million barrels in the last five days, the firm TankerTrackers.com said Friday, putting the value at $1.44 billion. <\/p>\n

Dozens more tankers loaded with oil could soon depart from Kharg Island, Iran\u2019s main export terminal on the Persian Gulf, further pushing down world prices.<\/p>\n

Benchmark Brent crude, which traded over $110 a barrel last month, has fallen to around $80 since the deal was reached. The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. also has dropped to under $4, a closely watched metric ahead of midterm congressional elections.<\/p>\n

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The sanctions had long forced Iran to export crude through a \u201cshadow fleet,\u201d selling mainly to China at below-market rates. Now it can pursue more customers and get a better price.<\/p>\n

Iran will need that cash more than ever as it grapples with the fallout from the war.<\/p>\n

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Iran is facing a looming economic crisis<\/h2>\n

Since authorities lifted a monthslong internet shutdown<\/span>, many Iranians have posted photographs of their empty refrigerators.<\/p>\n

Meat and other staples have grown too expensive for some households. The Iranian rial, which traded at 32,000 to $1 at the time of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, now stands at over 1.5 million to the dollar. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe conflict is estimated to have cost at least one million Iranian jobs, with 20% of workforce losses tied to the state-imposed internet shutdown,\u201d said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.<\/p>\n

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