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Sanctions and threats
Iran’s warnings and the United States’ new sanctions escalated tensions as Tehran reacted to a threatened “largest financial strike” and vowed a “hard response” if Washington broadened economic pressure.
““Any escalation of this situation will undoubtedly bring consequences,” Baghaei emphasized”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said, “Any escalation of this situation will undoubtedly bring consequences,” and added, “Our hands are not tied.”
The DW account said the Treasury Department issued “sanctions targeting five key sectors: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and maritime shipping,” and described the goal as cutting off “every economic lifeline” of the Iranian regime.
The same DW report tied the escalation to a record collapse of the rial and “increasing paralysis in the Strait of Hormuz,” while Iran maintained that it was blocking the naval passage and demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces to normalize crude transit.
In parallel, the Ratopati report said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new sanctions aiming to block all major economic and financial aid to Tehran, and that US President Donald Trump urged allies to participate in the new sanctions.
Strait of Hormuz pressure
As the Strait of Hormuz remained central to the standoff, Iran warned that continued U.S. economic pressure could halt oil exports from the Gulf region, while the United States continued to manage shipping through its blockade.
Ratopati quoted Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warning that if the US continued its economic pressure campaign, “all oil exports from the Gulf region could be halted,” and said any country supporting US sanctions would be considered to be participating in a war against Iran.
India Today said Iran warned that fresh U.S. sanctions would not bring peace to the region as Syria and Israel reopened contact, and it quoted Esmail Baghaei saying, “Any escalation of this situation will undoubtedly bring about consequences,” and “Our hands are not tied.”
The Ratopati report also said the US Central Command allowed “more than 40 ships carrying humanitarian aid to Iranian ports” to pass through the US naval blockade.
In the same Ratopati account, Iran’s leadership framed the dispute as a pressure-and-threats problem, with Masoud Pezeshkian telling Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir that the US needs to improve its language and behavior toward Iran.
Ratopati further reported that a report emerged of an oil tanker in the northeastern maritime area of Oman damaged by an unknown missile or object, with the UK Maritime Trade Operations placing it “approximately 9 nautical miles northeast of Ash Shihab in Oman.”
Diplomacy and internal messaging
Alongside the sanctions fight, Iran’s leadership signaled a desire to end the war while also warning that it would not bow to intimidation, as diplomatic channels and internal messaging ran in parallel.
““We will not bow under any circumstances to intimidation, and we will confront them to the last breath”
مدار21 quoted Iranian President Masoud Bezhkian saying, “It is better to end the war today, while we are in a position of strength and dignity,” and added, “We will not bow under any circumstances to intimidation, and we will confront them to the last breath.”
The same مدار21 account said Bezhkian defended the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States last June and stressed that it does not contain “a single clause indicating surrender; all commitments pertain to the other side.”
WION’s Reuters-based report said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed the threat of new U.S. sanctions as “a sign of desperation,” quoting him that “The fact that they (U.S. leaders) have moved on from military operations ... to bring up the same old plans shows that they are desperate.”
WION also reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was due to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Monday, while Iran’s stance remained defiant as it brought shipping to a “virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Finally, Ratopati said Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi is scheduled to visit Tehran on Tuesday to discuss regional tensions, including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian officials.