US-Iran, threatening rhetoric escalates / Washington warns of toughest sanctions package, Tehran promises response

Shortly before the expected announcement on Monday of a new round of US economic sanctions, the United States and Iran exchanged harsh statements. The measures are expected to target Iran, as well as its key trading partners, including China.

According to Reuters, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold a press conference on Monday at 2:00 p.m. US time. He is expected to explain the details of the measures that the Trump administration has described as “the toughest sanctions in history.”

Bessent has also urged China to cooperate with Washington. Kpler data for 2025 show that China purchased more than 80% of the oil shipped by Iran, while Beijing has called for diplomatic solutions.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that the new US sanctions represent an “assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty” over independent member states of the United Nations.

“Such secondary sanctions have no basis in international law,” Baghaei wrote in a post on X.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has warned of economic consequences for any country that provides Iran with “any kind of assistance.” On Friday, he said Tehran would like to reach an agreement, but added that it “is not ready to make the right deal.”

As the conflict approaches six months, the US and Iran have not engaged in exchanges of fire, but neither are they holding active peace negotiations. At the same time, the movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz has declined significantly, increasing concerns about global energy supplies.