“Israel’s Defense Minister, who had celebrated the 10‑day cease‑fire with Beirut, now faces a new threat: Iran’s vow of retaliation.”

Story form label: Lead Update

Trump Declares War “Close to Over” as Iran Vows Retaliation, U.S. Tightens Economic Levers

The president’s upbeat spin clashes with a fresh wave of sanctions, sending ripples through allies and reshaping the Pentagon’s war‑power calculus.

The Treasury Department today announced a new round of sanctions targeting Iranian oil exporters, effectively tightening the economic squeeze that has already been in place since the 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA. The move comes just as President Trump, in a televised address, declared that the “war” in the Middle East is “close to over.” The timing is no accident: the sanctions are designed to keep Iran’s financial lifelines under pressure while the U.S. signals a shift toward a more conciliatory public posture.

This duality—public optimism paired with hard‑line economic action—has unsettled Washington’s allies and rattled the Pentagon’s strategic planners. Israel’s Defense Minister, who had celebrated the 10‑day cease‑fire with Beirut, now faces a new threat: Iran’s vow of retaliation. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense has begun reallocating resources to bolster air‑defense assets in the region, a move that signals a recalibration of war‑power