Name: ‘Operation Economic Epic Fury’ Kicking In as Iranian Oil Exports Not Going to China: Former CIA Officer
Uploaded: 2026-04-16T19:23:09.000Z
Description: Former CIA officer Clare Lopez spoke with NTD’s Steve Lance on her assessment of the war in Iran, as President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the conflict is “very close to over.”

Steve Lance is NTD's Washington D.C. Bureau Chief and chief political correspondent. Steve anchors NTD's "Capitol Report," a political news show based in the nation's capital aimed at providing a direct channel to the voices and people who shape policy in America. Steve also co-moderates NTD's special election coverage "The Nation Decides."

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Former CIA officer Clare Lopez spoke with NTD’s Steve Lance on her assessment of the war in Iran, as President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the conflict is “very close to over.”

Lopez analyzed the geopolitical effect of the Trump administration’s application of secondary sanctions on accounts linked to the Iranian regime, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday would “be the financial equivalent of what we saw in the kinetic activities.”

Lopez also discussed the implications of Trump’s post that said he is permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz for the world, and what key issues he should keep at the forefront of his mind when he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.

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