Tehran has prepared economic scenarios, including expanding trade networks with regional allies to bypass tightening US sanctions, Hossein Mohebi, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman said on Sunday, adding that the results of the new measures would become evident in the near future. His comments came shortly before US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced imposing new sanctions on Iran at dawn Monday, described as “the toughest in history.” Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Mohebi said: “We have scenarios to counter the adverse effects of the enemy’s war and can easily establish economic relations with countries.” Cited by Tasnim, the IRGC spokesman said Iran is maintaining economic interactions “right under America’s nose” and bypassing US pressure, and that the results would become evident in the near future. Mohebi, however, offered no specifics regarding nations, firms, or financial conduits used to bypass US restrictions, asserting only that Iran maintains broad alternative economic plans. Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened “tremendous economic consequences” on any nation that does business with Iran, without offering details. Mohebi said the economic warfare is nothing new, noting that the US has imposed sanctions on Iran’s economic sectors for 47 years. The current US campaign, he added, is primarily aimed at shaping public perceptions and creating the belief that Washington is prevailing. He described Trump’s announcement of a new economic campaign against Iran as an “implicit admission” that Washington had failed militarily. Mohebi attributed a large part of his press conference to the nature of the ongoing war, saying the US-Iran war is multifaceted and not limited to military operations, but includes the economic and media sectors. Touching on previous military confrontations with the US, Mohebi said that before the last war, Iranian forces had targeted “between 30 and 40 US warships” inside the Arabian Gulf. He did not provide details of the names of the ships, the timing of the attacks or the extent of the damage. There is no independent evidence to prove his statements are correct. The IRGC spokesperson said the US has no warships left in the Arabian Gulf, affirming a major retreat of American forces following the recent regional clashes. “US troops are now deployed 400 kilometers away from the Gulf waters,” he noted. Addressing Washington, Mohebi said: “You mobilized all your military capabilities to close the Strait of Hormuz, but you couldn't.” He warned that if Iran faces another threat, it could target energy pipelines, power plants and internet-connected systems. Mohebi’s comments came as the Strait of Hormuz remains a focal point of the US-Iran conflict following the collapse of a sixty-day ceasefire negotiated in mid-June 2026.
