Iran Defies US Sanctions Threats as Desperate Move Fails to Intimidate

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed US threats of new sanctions as desperate and ineffective. The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, had warned that Washington would impose 'the toughest sanctions in history' on Iran, but Araghchi remains defiant.

'The fact that they have abandoned military operations... and returned to old plans shows that they are desperate,' Araghchi said.

Iran's economy is under pressure from international sanctions, with its infrastructure repeatedly attacked and thousands of people killed in airstrikes since the US and Israel began their campaign on February 28. However, Tehran has refused to allow unauthorized oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, effectively blocking shipping and driving up global oil prices.

Araghchi emphasized that Iran would not be intimidated by these threats, saying 'all their actions, whether blockades or other military steps, have failed, and this new issue of theirs will also fail.'