TEHRAN/WASHINGTON, Aug 25 – Iran has pledged to resist a new round of US sanctions aimed at putting greater pressure on its economy, while officials in Tehran said Washington appears interested in restarting diplomatic negotiations.
The latest measures, announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, expand the campaign against Iran and threaten countries and companies that continue doing business with Tehran. However, Washington stopped short of imposing some of the harshest measures it has threatened, giving Iran’s major trading partners additional time to adjust their dealings.
The developments come nearly six months into a conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, damaged Iran’s military infrastructure and placed growing pressure on both governments to find a way toward a political settlement. Iranian officials say they remain prepared to respond to further pressure, but recent diplomatic contacts involving Pakistan have raised hopes that negotiations could resume.
Iran warns of retaliation as US expands sanctions
Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said Tehran would not accept the latest US measures without a response. Speaking on Iranian state television, he warned that those responsible for the new pressure campaign should expect retaliation.
“The enemies should wait for an attack,” Madanizadeh said, signaling that Tehran continues to view economic pressure as part of a broader confrontation with the United States.
He also said China and Russia had not accepted the US sanctions and predicted that other countries would resist Washington’s efforts to isolate Iran economically. Tehran has increasingly relied on major trading partners to maintain access to energy markets and other international commerce as US restrictions have tightened.
The US Treasury Department announced sanctions targeting 60 individuals, companies and vessels. The measures are intended to make it more difficult for Iran to move money, sell oil and maintain commercial relationships overseas.
Bessent warned that countries continuing to trade with Iran could eventually face consequences that would restrict their access to the dollar-based financial system. At the same time, he did not specify when such penalties might be imposed or identify individual countries that could face action.
That approach leaves room for negotiations with countries that have significant economic relationships with Iran, while keeping the threat of tougher action in place.
Iranian officials have nevertheless indicated that the new sanctions could complicate efforts to revive negotiations. Abbas Golroo, chairman of the foreign relations committee in Iran’s parliament, said Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had carried a message from Washington to Tehran during his visit on Monday.
Golroo told the Iranian news agency ISNA that the message appeared to be focused on restarting the political process that had stalled during the conflict.
There was no immediate public response from the White House or the US State Department to the Iranian account.
Pakistan pushes for renewed negotiations
Pakistan has emerged as an important intermediary as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.
During meetings with Iranian officials on Monday, Pakistani representatives conveyed a willingness from Iran to return to peace negotiations, although Tehran also raised concerns over the expanded US sanctions, according to a Pakistani government source.
The source said Pakistan had told Iranian officials that the United States could reverse the latest sanctions either before a new round of negotiations or during the talks themselves.
That message could provide an opening for diplomacy at a time when both sides face significant pressure. Iran’s economy has been weakened by the conflict and international restrictions, while the United States is confronting growing public concern about the costs and consequences of the war.
Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s interior minister, who accompanied Munir to Tehran, described the discussions as constructive.
“We had a very constructive exchange,” Naqvi said in a post on X.
An official in the Iranian president’s office, Mehdi Tabatabaei, also portrayed Munir’s visit as productive. He said the trip had produced “highly valuable diplomatic achievements” and suggested that the results would become public soon.
Pakistan’s military later said significant progress had been made during the discussions, particularly on preventing further escalation and finding a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The diplomatic effort comes as both sides have reasons to avoid an immediate escalation. Although major US and Iranian strikes have declined in recent weeks, Iranian officials continue to warn that any attack on critical infrastructure could trigger a stronger response.
Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, warned that Tehran could target US interests and energy chokepoints if Iranian infrastructure comes under threat.
China defends trade ties as Hormuz tensions continue
China has become central to the dispute because it remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil and an important economic partner for Tehran.
The latest US sanctions did not include Chinese financial institutions that Washington has accused of helping facilitate Iranian oil transactions. The omission comes at a sensitive moment in US-China relations, with President Donald Trump expected to host Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.
Washington is also seeking to avoid disruptions to China’s exports of critical minerals, adding another layer of complexity to the sanctions campaign.
China said Tuesday that its economic cooperation with Iran is conducted in accordance with international law and should not be interfered with or disrupted. The statement signals that Beijing is unlikely to accept broad US demands to sever its commercial relationship with Tehran without a wider diplomatic settlement.
Iranian oil shipments to China have already been affected by the US blockade of Iranian ports. The restrictions have reduced the flow of Iranian crude even as China remains one of Tehran’s most important economic lifelines.
Oil markets showed limited concern about the latest sanctions, with prices falling for a second consecutive day as traders assessed their immediate impact. However, concerns remain over Iran’s ability to disrupt shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Those concerns intensified on Tuesday after an oil tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile and disabled about 9 nautical miles, or 17 kilometers, northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, near the entrance to the strategically important waterway.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization reported the incident. The identity of those responsible was not immediately established.
Oman’s foreign minister traveled to Iran on Tuesday for discussions that included arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.
Provisional data from ship-tracking company Vortexa showed that oil transit through the strait stood at about 5 million barrels per day on Monday. That was sharply below the more than 20 million barrels per day recorded before the conflict.
The disruption is significant because roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption normally passes through the waterway.
Iran conflict creates pressure for a political settlement
The economic and military confrontation has now entered a prolonged phase. The United States and Iran reached an interim agreement in June intended to help end the conflict that began after US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February.
That agreement quickly weakened, however, and Iran resumed attacks on shipping in the Gulf, contributing to a major reduction in energy exports.
Thousands of people have been killed during the conflict, with the largest number of casualties reported in Iran and Lebanon. Iran’s conventional military capabilities have also suffered substantial damage, while its economy continues to face severe strain.
The death of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei further transformed the country’s political and security landscape. Despite those losses, Tehran has retained the ability to threaten shipping routes and launch attacks against Gulf states.
The condition of Iran’s nuclear program also remains uncertain. Washington and Israel have repeatedly said that preventing Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities is a central objective of their campaign, but the full extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains unclear.
At the same time, political pressure is growing inside the United States. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that public approval of the war had fallen to its lowest level since the early stages of the conflict, while Trump’s approval rating remained at a record low ahead of November’s congressional elections.
The political environment could increase pressure on Washington to demonstrate progress toward an end to the conflict.
The possible return of US diplomats to the Middle East could provide another indication that conditions are shifting. The New York Times, citing a State Department document, reported that American diplomats evacuated during the war could begin returning to the region as early as this week. It was not immediately clear whether that move was directly connected to Pakistan’s mediation effort.
For now, Iran is presenting itself as unwilling to surrender under economic pressure, while Washington is keeping the possibility of further sanctions open. At the same time, diplomatic messages are moving between the two sides through Pakistan.
Whether those efforts can produce a durable agreement remains uncertain. But with the Strait of Hormuz still disrupted, energy flows sharply reduced and both governments facing mounting political and economic costs, the latest diplomatic initiative could become an important test of whether the conflict can finally move toward negotiations.