'Fully prepared': Iran threatens retaliation after Trump widens sanctions

Iran has threatened retaliation against the expansion of the United States' economic sanctions, with Tehran expressing confidence that major trading partners would resist Washington's pressure campaign. Taking to social media, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf downplayed the impact of new US restrictions, claiming Washington is in no economic position to further restrict its relations with other nations. 

The remarks came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the so-called measures on Monday to "cut off Iran's economic lifeline." The Team Trump member, however, stopped short of the most punishing sanctions, saying countries that continued trading with Iran risked being forced out of the dollar-based financial system.

Bessent declined to identify which of Iran's trading partners would be targeted or reveal when those penalties would take effect. Instead, he said that the US would provide them time to comply with the new directive. The Treasury Department did announce new sanctions on 60 individuals, entities and vessels, but the list did not include any of the Chinese financial institutions -- Tehran's biggest trading partner-- suspected of facilitating Iran's oil trade.

What Iran Said

After the United States' announcement, Ghalibaf said, "Americans know that no one buys their bombast; the United States is not in an economic position to further restrict its relations with other countries."

"Iran's trading partners, both in the media and through messages sent to us, have made it clear that they don't take these statements into account anywhere," he added in a post on X. 

Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh also said Tehran was "fully prepared for the US sanctions."

"Naturally, the enemies intend to launch an economic terrorist attack on us, but we also have our own tools and know how to play the game. Our defence is no longer so defensive; the enemies should wait for an attack," Madanizadeh told state television.

He also said neither China nor Russia had "accepted" the US measures and predicted other countries would resist them.

Tehran also threatened both a possible military response and further reduction in oil exports from the Gulf even before any US economic measures were announced. 

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, vowed heavy blows to US vital interests and energy chokepoints if Iran's infrastructure is threatened, Press TV reported.

Where the War Stands

Struggling to resolve an unpopular war that has pushed energy prices higher, President Donald Trump's administration in the US appears to be counting on further economic pressure, even though Iran has spent decades under layers of American and international sanctions that have battered its economy but have not deterred its leadership.

Almost six months have passed since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Though neither side has launched major strikes in weeks, the war shows little sign of reaching a diplomatic solution. In the meantime, the US is seeking new ways to end Iranian attacks on ships in the Gulf and, more recently via its allies, in the Red Sea. 

While the war has degraded much of Iran's conventional military capacity, inflicted economic pain and killed then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran has preserved enough missile and drone capability to attack its Gulf neighbours and threaten oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The exact state of Iran's nuclear program, which the Americans and Israelis aim to wipe out, remains unknown.