US-Iran sanctions are expected to intensify on Monday as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prepares new economic measures against Tehran, while Iranian officials threaten retaliation that would affect Persian Gulf oil exports.
President Donald Trump has pledged an unprecedented new sanctions campaign targeting Iran’s economy. The package is expected to focus on Iran’s remaining financial and oil-export channels.
Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran would respond in a “seismic” manner if the economic pressure continued.
In a post on X, Rezaei said Iran would regard countries supporting the U.S. measures as participating in an economic war.
Rezaei also threatened to halt oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf if further sanctions were imposed.
Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst reported Monday that the Iranian rial had fallen to a historic low ahead of the expected U.S. measures.
Read: Iran Sanctions: Tehran Says New US Economic Push Will Fail
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained below normal levels, although no attacks on vessels had been reported during the previous 48 hours.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Sunday for a return to a Memorandum of Understanding, saying that arrangement would be preferable to the current situation of “neither war nor peace.”
