A high-ranking Iranian official stated that the US focus on economic warfare demonstrates their inability to achieve military victory. The Iranian regime rejected President Donald Trump‘s threats to economically crush the country, noting that years of US sanctions have not succeeded.
On Friday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the country’s chief negotiator with the US, said that Trump‘s threat of an «economic D-Day» shows Washington’s inability to win militarily. «The Americans and Israelis have realized that they cannot deal with Iran in direct military confrontation, so they have turned to information and economic warfare», he said during a visit to neighboring Iraq.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also condemned the economic warfare announced by Trump, calling it «economic terrorism» aimed at diverting attention from US economic problems. In a social‑media post, he noted that the intensification of the failed US policy would further strengthen anti‑American sentiment.
Increased economic pressure from the US
Earlier this week, Trump wrote on Truth Social, promising «the most devastating economic operation ever carried out against any country» and urging allies to support the United States. His statement came amid a complete stalemate in diplomatic efforts to resume peace talks, a few days after the expiration of a 60‑day memorandum of understanding on negotiations to end the war.
The US blockade remains in effect, and Iran continues to significantly restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil waterway. The United States has already imposed broad sanctions on Iran that make a large portion of international trade with Western countries impossible. In June, Washington also increased pressure on oil refineries and companies that purchase Iranian crude.
Now, a senior Treasury official, Scott Bessent, is threatening even larger secondary sanctions against countries, not just individual businesses that deal with Iran. On Wednesday, Trump wrote: «ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government agencies to provide any assistance to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS economic consequences.»
Scott Bessent added in an interview with CNBC on Thursday that Iran will face «the largest coordinated economic isolation in world history.» «This will work in Iran, and we will bring down this regime. It is time for our allies and the rest of the world to make a decision», he said.
Threat of secondary sanctions and China’s reaction
The prospect of secondary sanctions raised questions about how this will affect China, which buys Iranian oil and was the only country Bessent mentioned by name. «Unfortunately, they were buying, they were the largest consumer of Iranian oil, they were buying about 90 percent of it», he said. When asked whether China could become a target, Bessent declined to answer. On Friday, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called for negotiations rather than sanctions, stating that «sanctions and pressure tactics are not the solution.»
Bessent is expected to hold a press conference on Monday to detail how Trump‘s planned «economic D-Day» will be implemented.
Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy think tank in Washington, told NPR that ideological hardliners now control parts of the Iranian government, and economic issues are not a priority for them. «The Iranians are facing an existential threat. So they are willing to bear much greater economic costs to ensure their survival», she said.
Source: NPR
