The United States is threatening what officials describe as unprecedented economic pressure on Iran, including sanctions against countries whose banks, businesses, airports or government entities continue doing business with Tehran. The threat comes as diplomacy over ending the war on Iran remains stalled.
Iran has rejected the planned measures as an attack on national sovereignty and warned that any country joining the US economic campaign could be treated as an enemy. Tehran says it would first seek talks, but could then target that country’s interests.
What Washington says it will do
US President Donald Trump said Iran had failed to take an opportunity to reach a deal and threatened “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale”. He said countries that provide Iran with financial, commercial, transport or government support would face “tremendous” economic consequences.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would impose what he called the toughest sanctions in history. The measures would target activities including oil smuggling, money transfers, exchange houses, ship registries and front companies, alongside existing US restrictions on Iran’s oil, shipping and financial sectors.
Related coverage: Iran threatens retaliation as US prepares new economic sanctions.
Iran’s response and the risk to neighbours
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the US threat against other countries as an assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the measures were bound to fail, arguing that Tehran had experienced similar sanctions before.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said countries that imposed economic restrictions would be regarded as enemies. He outlined a sequence of talks, followed if necessary by attacks on a country’s interests, and warned that Iran could prevent oil from leaving the Gulf if neighbouring states joined the US campaign.
Why enforcement could be difficult
China has opposed sanctions and called for diplomatic and political solutions. The source material says China and Russia have limited reliance on the US financial system in some sectors, potentially reducing Washington’s leverage over two of Iran’s major trading partners.
More context: Iran weighs economic survival as Washington threatens harsher sanctions.
China bought 80 percent of Iran’s shipped oil in 2025, according to analytics firm Kpler. Evidence of ship-to-ship transfers off Malaysia also indicates that Iranian oil continues to be traded. Russia and Iran have meanwhile developed commercial and military links intended to bypass Western channels.
Also read: Iran threatens regional action against countries aiding US economic war.
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