TEHRAN, Iran: Tehran condemned planned US sanctions on Iran on Saturday as Washington prepared to announce new economic measures that could also affect countries trading with the Islamic Republic, including China.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to hold a press conference at 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) on Monday, after promising what he described as the toughest sanctions imposed on Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the planned secondary sanctions amounted to an assertion of US authority over other United Nations member states. He argued in a post on X that such measures lacked a basis in international law.
Bessent has also called on China to cooperate with Washington. Beijing purchased more than 80% of Iran’s oil exports in 2025, according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler, as reported, while China has called for diplomacy.
Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei separately warned neighbouring countries against supporting the US economic campaign, saying Tehran could treat participating states as enemies.
The threat of sanctions comes as commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted. Ship-tracking data cited in the report showed only four commodity vessels transited the strait on Thursday, with no large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers among them.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said Tehran had nevertheless authorised several Iraqi oil tankers to pass after requests from Baghdad.
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US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran wanted an agreement but was not yet prepared to accept what Washington considered the right terms.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, has called for a diplomatic end to the conflict, according to comments carried by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
