Iran Dismisses New US Sanctions as Ineffective

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Wednesday that the United States will achieve nothing with its new sanctions campaign, as the two nations remain locked in a months-long war and a tense standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at a high-level economic meeting in Tehran, Pezeshkian asserted that Iran would withstand the economic pressure just as it had weathered the military conflict.

The remarks came days after the Trump administration launched "Operation Economic Outcast," a sweeping sanctions initiative targeting Iran's aviation, shipping, gold, technology, and digital asset sectors. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measures on Monday, stating the goal was the "economic asphyxiation" of the Iranian government and warning of consequences for countries that do not join the campaign. Bessent also claimed the U.S. had "dismantled Iran's military capabilities" and "buried its nuclear programme."

Pezeshkian, however, dismissed the impact of the new sanctions. "America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war," he said, according to the ISNA news agency. He emphasized...