Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday responded to new economic sanctions announced by the United States, stating the measures represent an “assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty” against other nations. The comments follow a U.S. announcement of further economic restrictions on Tehran and any country conducting business with it.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement posted on the social media platform X that the U.S. action was an attempt to compel foreign entities to cease commerce with Iran. He described the policy as leading to “the complete erosion of sovereignty as the foundational basis of the UN-based inter-State system.”
The response came after U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced what he termed the “most crushing economic operation” against Iran. He stated that any country whose institutions engage with Tehran would face “tremendous economic consequences.”
On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated the administration’s position, saying the new sanctions were intended to “collapse” Iran’s economy and that other countries must decide if they are “with us or against us.”
Iranian officials have said the country is prepared for the sanctions. In a separate post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the new measures were “bound to fail,” comparing them to sanctions imposed by a previous U.S. administration.
These developments occur amid a period of stalled negotiations between the two countries. A U.S. Navy presence continues near Iranian ports, and commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been significantly reduced. According to ship-tracking data, only four commodity vessels, none of which were large crude oil or liquefied natural gas tankers, passed through the strait on Thursday.
President Trump commented on the situation to reporters on Friday, saying his administration is “seeing what happens” and that Iranian officials “would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal in my opinion.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday that the government has granted permission for several Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the strait. According to IRNA, the special permission was granted following requests from Baghdad during a recent visit to Iraq by Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
