Karachi, Pakistan — At Karachi port, the largest in Pakistan, 3,000 stranded containers hold cargo that was meant to be shipped to Iran. What’s in them is not known.But the vessels that were supposed to collect them have not arrived — and with tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalating, there is no clarity on when those ships might finally be able to reach Karachi.This disruption is part of a wider pressure strategy shaped under President Donald Trump – one that analysts say is designed not to halt trade completely, but to control it.“Iran is collapsing financially,” Trump wrote on Thursday on Truth Social. “They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately- Starving for cash!”For the first six weeks of the US-Israel war on Iran that began on February 28, Tehran imposed an access system to control which ships transited the strait while also earning toll payments.But since April 13, the Trump administration has imposed its naval blockade that has effectively stopped ships sailing through the strait that either left or were destined for Iranian ports.The US naval blockade didn’t just hurt Iranian exports – the Trump administration effectively controls Iran’s ability to import goods it desperately needs. Analysts say, in some ways, …
