{
  "id": 5582480,
  "title": "Por qué Estados Unidos e Irán siguen escalando el conflicto",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/por-que-estados-unidos-e-iran-siguen-escalando-el-conflicto",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-04T14:34:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Expansion ES",
    "slug": "expansion-es",
    "url": "https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2026/09/04/6a9ad6f8e5fdea0a6c8b4580.html"
  },
  "original_language": "es",
  "account": "United States and Iran continue escalating their conflict as Trump hardens his stance on negotiations. Iranian Revolutionary Guard prepared two missiles to fire maritime mines from the small island of Larak towards the Strait of Hormuz. Before they could complete their mission, they were spotted by American forces who destroyed the launchers. This broke a month-long truce in hostilities between the two nations, triggering a new round of retaliatory attacks this week and highlighting the dangers of the current stalemate as both sides fight for control of the Strait.\n\nDiplomats had hoped to create a pathway for the conflicting parties to return to the June memorandum of understanding that was supposed to reopen the Strait and resume talks for a definitive solution to the war. However, after this diplomatic effort prolonged, the Trump administration informed them they would not return to the memorandum of understanding, according to sources close to the conversations. Instead, they seek a more comprehensive agreement that covers not only the Strait but also Iran's nuclear program, as explained by a diplomat familiar with the situation.\n\nThe United States wants an agreement if Iran is willing to accept it, but is not in a hurry. It would have to be a new agreement; they want something on the nuclear issue. The Trump administration appears to bet that the United States can ensure a steady flow of oil through the Strait by protecting maritime traffic, while using a naval blockade and sanctions to choke Iran's ailing economy. However, Iranian leaders have threatened to take military retaliation for the blockade and warned that no other Gulf producer could export oil if Iran could not. Diplomats and analysts state that this impasse is unsustainable and carries the risk of further escalations.\n\nEach signal sent to Trump indicates that as long as the United States succeeds in strangling its economy, the Iranians will resort to force. As Ali Vaez, Iran expert from Crisis Group, points out, if Trump believes he can get by with economic warfare, he is mistaken. The Iranians will drag him back into open war. The White House declined to comment on its conditions for an agreement with Iran. This week, Trump dismissed reports that he was trying to force Iran to sit at the negotiation table, asserting that he could not care less about signing an agreement that, for them, had no value. The hardening of the president's stance dates back to August 22 when US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the average of seven days of oil leaving the Strait exceeded 8 million barrels daily. While before the war, 20 million barrels daily of crude and refined products left the Strait, this figure indicated that the United States was weakening Iran's control over the maritime route. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the Central Command of the US Armed Forces, declared on Friday that the United States had removed all Iranian mines from international maritime routes in the Strait. Two days later, the United States attacked Iranian forces in Larak, accusing them of trying to mine the Strait again, through which approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passed before the United States and Israel launched the war in February. The escalation of tension this week triggered two days of reciprocal attacks in which Iran responded by firing at US bases in the region. At least two tankers were also attacked. Iranian officials claimed that an American attack hit a wedding near Sirik, in southern Iran, killing four people and leaving dozens wounded, calling it a war crime. Iranian leaders declared this week that Tehran wants to resume the June memorandum of understanding while threatening to use lethal strikes against American forces if they continued the hostilities. The United States soon will see if Iran's new strategy in battle, diplomacy, and response to the economic blockade will destroy its foundations, Mohsen Rezaei, supreme commander of Iran's security, asserts. However, the Iranians are suffering more and more economic consequences from the blockade. Last week, long queues formed at gas stations in Tehran due to the shortage of oil that the republic suffers. Inflation, especially the sharp increase in food prices, has become the main topic of conversation in the capital. Supermarket shelves are well-stocked, but prices are rising almost daily. Nevertheless, analysts do not expect the regime, which for decades has worked to outmaneuver and resist Western sanctions, to capitulate. On the contrary, they say Tehran will fight to maintain its influence over the Strait, which has become its main stronghold against the United States in what it considers an existential battle. Despite US assertions about increasing the flow of oil through the Strait, Trump has so far had little success in reducing fuel prices before the midterm elections in November. Crude Brent hovers around $97 a barrel, while the price of oil remains high.",
  "summary": "Mientras Trump endurece su postura sobre las negociaciones, Teherán sigue decidido a mantener cerrado el estrecho de Ormuz. Leer",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}