President Trump is using economic war to force Iran to drop its nuclear weapons program. That is the picture Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) painted at a major Republican Jewish Coalition summit on August 31.

McCormick spoke with Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow about why Trump chose pressure over bombs.

"We're squeezing and strangling them," McCormick said. He added that the goal is to push Iran's leadership to "act more reasonably" on nuclear weapons.

**The numbers are severe.**

McCormick cited these figures for Iran in 2026 alone: - Inflation is running at 70 percent. That means something costing $100 last year now costs $170. - Iran's currency lost 40 percent of its value. - The economy shrank by six percent. - Unemployment passed ten percent. - People are standing in lines for fuel and bread.

McCormick also compared the military side of the campaign to the Gulf War, which he called "the most successful high-tech war in the history of the world" at the time. He said the current campaign has destroyed more Iranian aircraft, factories, and missile launchers by "orders of magnitude."

Iran's economy is about 90 percent dependent on oil, McCormick said. A blockade has cut off much of that income.

**The next move is secondary sanctions.**

McCormick said the U.S. plans to go after countries that still do business with Iran. "If you're going to do business with Iran, we're going to sanction you," he said. That would tighten the pressure even further.

He described Iran's leaders as facing "a fork in the road." They can keep going on their current path, which he said is devastating their country. Or they can compromise and give up their nuclear weapons program.

McCormick was careful to separate the Iranian people from their government. "The Iranian people here aren't the problem," he said. "This is one of the great societies of the world."

Trump's stated goal, according to McCormick, is a "prosperous and successful Iran" once the current leadership changes course.

Iran has not agreed to any deal so far. The pressure campaign is ongoing.

If you want to follow this story, watch for news on secondary sanctions and any response from Iran's government. Those two signals will tell you whether this strategy is working.