Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran must plan to overcome the "unjust sanctions", after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what he described as the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran, according to Qalibaf's channel on Telegram. Bessent said the United States will impose "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran, a move he suggested would lessen the need for new major military operations, reported Reuters. Bessent's comments on Thursday followed President Donald Trump's threat a day earlier of "Economic Warfare" and warning of economic consequences against any country that provided "any type of lifeline to Iran." Bessent promised details next week. Iran has weathered near-continuous, punishing economic sanctions for nearly 50 years, since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Before Bessent spoke, Iran's foreign ministry said it condemned US economic and trade sanctions, calling them "economic terrorism" that would not "create even the slightest hesitation in Iranians’ determination to safeguard Iran’s independence, dignity and national sovereignty." Bessent told CNBC he would share more details on the latest package and "talk about exactly what we're going to do" on Iran at a press conference on Monday.
