Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has dismissed the latest round of US economic sanctions against Tehran, insisting that Washington will achieve nothing through economic pressure.
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Wednesday as tensions between Iran and the United States continued to rise, with negotiations between the two countries stalled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“With the measures that the government’s economic sectors have foreseen, America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war,” Pezeshkian said, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
His comments followed a warning by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday that Washington planned to pursue the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran and that countries refusing to support the campaign could face serious consequences.
Iranian officials have played down the likely impact of the measures, pointing to the country’s decades of experience with US sanctions imposed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Pezeshkian said Tehran remained open to diplomacy while vowing to resist economic pressure.
“Our principle is understanding and resolving issues through interaction and negotiation, but at the same time, we will stand firm against economic pressures, as we have done so far and will continue to do,” he said.
The latest confrontation has been intensified by the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports normally pass.
Traffic through the waterway has remained largely paralysed since the outbreak of the war on February 28, causing disruptions in global energy markets.
Iran has maintained control over the strategic passage since the conflict began and has sought to impose fees on vessels using the strait.
Washington, meanwhile, has demanded a return to the pre-war arrangement guaranteeing free navigation through the waterway.
US President Donald Trump has also claimed that the United States now has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, further escalating the standoff between Washington and Tehran.
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