Donald Trump says US sanctions on Iran will be "on an unprecedented scale"

Iran responded with derision on Aug. 24 to a promised U.S. sanctions offensive, saying the scale of the planned pressure only revealed American failure. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X that claims of American strikes having destroyed Iran’s military might and ended its nuclear activities were hard to square with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s call for what he described as the toughest financial campaign ever directed at a foreign adversary. Bessent laid out the initiative in the Financial Times and was scheduled to detail the new sanctions that same day. The dispute follows President Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington would escalate economic pressure on Iran more aggressively than at any prior point. Iran’s foreign ministry warned other countries against cooperating, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized growing alignment with China. The friction continues after U.S.-Israeli strikes and a fragile ceasefire, with Tehran still controlling the Strait of Hormuz.