Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi dismisses US President Donald Trump’s new ‘Economic D-Day’ campaign against Tehran, calling it ‘bound to fail’ and a diversion from America’s own economic crisis.
‘Bound to Fail’: Iran Hits Back at US Sanctions
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday hit back at US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an “Economic D-Day” campaign against Tehran, calling the latest US pressure campaign “bound to fail” and citing previous American sanctions policies that he said had failed.
In a post on X, Araghchi listed previous US “failed” measures against Iran and compared them with Trump’s latest announcement. “14 years ago: ‘Most crippling sanctions in history.’ Failed. 8 years ago: ‘Maximum pressure.’ Failed. 5 months ago: ‘Unconditional surrender.’ Failed. Today: ‘Most crushing economic operation ever.’ Bound to fail. We have seen this movie before. Same bull. Different bullies,” Araghchi said. Araghchi also shared a 2012 post by former US President Barack Obama in which Obama quoted then-Vice President Joe Biden describing US sanctions against Iran as the “most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions.”
‘Diversion from America’s Own Crisis’
The Iranian Foreign Minister had earlier described Trump’s “Economic D-Day” announcement as an attempt to divert attention from economic problems in the United States. “The so-called ‘Economic D-Day’ is a diversion from America’s own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs,” Araghchi said in another post. “Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat–and enmity of Iranians. US economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide,” he added.
Araghchi also shared reports from CNN and The New York Times concerning the US national debt. According to CNN, US federal debt reached USD 40 trillion on Tuesday amid rising interest payments and concerns over the pace of debt accumulation. The US national debt increased by USD 1 trillion in five months, according to US Treasury Department data cited by CNN, while the federal government recorded a USD 1.8 trillion deficit during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.
Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’ Campaign
Araghchi’s remarks came after Trump announced on Wednesday what he described as the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country” targeting Iran, calling the campaign “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.” Trump said the measures would target Iran’s economic lifelines, including oil smuggling networks, financial transfers, exchange houses, ship registries and front companies. “Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop now,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social.
The US President also called the campaign an “Economic D-Day” and urged American allies to join Washington in isolating Iran. “You know who you are. This will be an Economic D-Day, and we need all of our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat,” Trump said.
‘Iran Will Never Have a Nuclear Weapon’
Trump, meanwhile, said Iran had failed to reach an agreement with Washington despite being given an opportunity to do so. “No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a deal than me. Tragically, for them, they have failed to take it,” Trump said. He reiterated that Iran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, stating, “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also said Washington had “very draconian sanctions” available against Iran and indicated that additional measures could be announced. “We have things that we could sanction. We have very draconian sanctions, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said while addressing technology leaders. He said Washington would determine its next course of action based on developments, adding that the situation could either result in a significant fall in oil prices or lead to a continuation of the existing measures. “It’ll either be extremely good, and oil prices are going to drop like a rock or we’ll continue to do exactly what we’re doing,” Trump said.
Araghchi’s latest comments underline Tehran’s rejection of Washington’s renewed economic pressure campaign, with the Iranian Foreign Minister arguing that previous US sanctions strategies had failed to force Iran to change course. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)