Tehran, August 23 (TNA) Iran on Saturday strongly condemned the United States’ impending announcement of new economic sanctions. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the measures as an unlawful assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over independent UN member states.
Baghaei asserted that such secondary sanctions lack any foundation in international law and would further strain Iran’s economy while affecting its key trading partners, including China.
Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei warned that countries joining Washington's economic war would be treated as enemies and face consequences, further threatening to target the interests of any country imposing sanctions.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to detail the toughest sanctions in history on Monday, urging Chinese cooperation as Beijing accounts for over 80% of Iran’s oil exports. Nearly six months after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes began on 28th February, hostilities have paused, but peace talks remain absent.
Oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a near standstill, though Iran has granted passage to certain Iraqi tankers. Iranian officials highlighted enhanced missile production, while Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian called for a dignified diplomatic end to the conflict. The UAE has suspended trade with Tehran.