The U.S. and Iran exchanged harsh messages ahead of Monday’s scheduled announcement of new U.S. economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which may affectits trading partners, including China.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold a press conference at 2:00 p.m. (local time, 9:00 p.m. Greek time) on Monday, amid warnings of “the toughest sanctions in history” against Iran. He also called on China to cooperate with the U.S.
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The Houthis attacked airports in Saudi Arabia
For his part, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai stated today that the planned “economic war” by the U.S. against Tehran violates international law.
Banks, companies, or airports that fall under a country’s exclusive jurisdiction should not be forced by other states “to renounce legitimate trade with a third country,”, Bagai wrote in X.
“Economic coercion designed to force a sovereign state to alter its legitimate policy choices constitutes a completely illegal act under international law,” he emphasized.
At the same time, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that such “secondary sanctions” violate the United Nations Charter.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has warned of economic repercussions against countries that offer “any kind of lifeline to Iran,” stated yesterday that Washington is monitoring “what is happening” in the conflict.
“We have complete control over the entire region related to the Strait of Hormuz, including the land areas. Therefore, they would very much like to reach an agreement, but they are not ready to reach the right agreement, in my opinion,” Trump told reporters.
Threats and Economic Consequences
The head of Iran’s armed forces, General Ali Abdolahi, pledged yesterday that Iran would respond to enemy threats militarily with “overwhelming, punitive, and devastating responses.”
However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeskian stated yesterday, Friday, that it is time to put an end to the war with the United States, as long as Tehran is “in a position of strength” vis-à-vis Washington.
“It would be better to end the war today, while we are strong and have dignity, and the whole world recognizes our victory and emphasizes that America, despite all the regulations, attacked our schools, our hospitals, and our infrastructure, and is hated by the world,” Pezeskian said, according to the ISNA news agency.
The speaker of the Iranian parliament and the country’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bayer Galibaf, acknowledged the difficulties facing Iran’s economy in a speech to Iranianand Iraqi businesspeople on Thursday.
“No matter how much military power we have, we will not survive if people are starving and we lack economic turnover, economic growth, and domestic production,” Galibaf said.
Source: APE-MPE
