Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked US sanctions threats with a ‘boomerang’ comic, arguing they backfire. Other officials, including the IRGC, called the economic pressure an admission of US military defeat and a ‘recurring scenario’.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday ridiculed the United States following the fresh economic sanctions threat by President Donald Trump, using satirical commentary to argue that heavy-handed economic restrictions ultimately backfire. In a post on X, Ghalibaf commented on the limitations of trying to manage deep-seated financial strain through short-term state interventions and shared a sarcastic take on how economic pressures play out “Importing frozen meat to fix meat prices. Okay, that might work. What’s the plan for bonds, import frozen yields? Frozen homebuyers for housing? Frozen paychecks for wages? A frozen foreign policy delivers a frozen economy. The only thing still moving? The Iran boomerang,” he wrote. Accompanying the post, Ghalibaf shared a satirical four-panel comic strip illustrating the concept of the “Iran boomerang.” The meme depicts a character throwing a giant boomerang labelled “the most crushing economic operation ever,” only for the weapon to loop back and strike the thrower directly in the face, mocking the perceived backfiring effects of US’ pressure sanctions.
IRGC Calls Sanctions an Admission of ‘Military Defeat’
Additionally, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Spokesperson Sardar Mohebi asserted that Washington’s heavy reliance on economic warfare is a tacit confession of the US’ “humiliating defeat” on the military front. Addressing recent statements from Trump regarding aggressive economic pressure, Mohebi, according to IRIB, said that such measures are nothing new, noting that Tehran has faced restrictions targeting its core sectors for decades: “The US President says that he has ordered economic warfare and has launched the most severe economic war against Iran. This is a tacit admission of the enemy’s humiliating defeat in the military arena,” he said.
Highlighting Iran’s strategic preparedness, Mohebi emphasised to IRIB that the country maintains a counter-strategy for every hostile action pursued by adversaries. “If you were victorious in the military arena, you wouldn’t have to start an economic war. Is economic war new? You have been waging an economic war for 47 years and have sanctioned all of our economic pillars. The enemy’s current job is only to create perception and create belief for the people,” IRIB cited him as saying.
Mohebi further assured that economic interference can be successfully managed to neutralise adverse effects, allowing the nation to establish economic relations smoothly without domestic concern. “We have repeatedly stated that we have a scenario for every hostile action of the enemy. One of the hostile actions of the enemy is economic warfare. We have a scenario to repel the adverse effects of the enemy’s war and easily establish economic relations with countries; there is no concern in the economic field,” the spokesperson stated.
Concluding his remarks, Mohebi emphasised that Iran continues to advance its economic interactions globally and bypass American restrictions, IRIB reported. “We are having economic interactions with America, we are bypassing America, and you will see the results in the near future. The enemy is fighting so that we believe he will win,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Dismisses ‘Recurring Scenario’
Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also slammed US’ sanctions threat and said that war and sanctions are “not unfamiliar” to Iran. He noted that the Islamic Republic has been under sanctions for 20 years.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi dismissed renewed US threats of economic sanctions as a “recurring scenario,” stating that Washington has no choice but to speak respectfully to the Iranian nation. According to state broadcaster IRIB, speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony, Araghchi said that Washington’s resort to economic pressure demonstrates desperation following failed measures. “America has no choice but to speak respectfully to the Iranian people,” Araghchi declared in comments broadcast by IRIB.
Rebuffing claims of new American economic manoeuvres, Araghchi described Washington’s approach as a familiar routine that Tehran is fully prepared to counter. “The economic operation that Trump claims is a recurring scenario and the same old bullying in American politics. In a sense, it is a recurring movie that we have watched many times and we know how to deal with it,” IRIB cited him as saying. Araghchi emphasised that Washington’s return to economic pressure tactics highlights its inability to counter Iran’s national resilience.
US Announces ‘Economic D-Day’ Campaign Against Iran
Iran’s rebuttal came after Trump on Wednesday announced what he called an “Economic D-Day” campaign against Iran, describing it as the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country.” Trump said the campaign would amount to “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale” and called on US allies to join Washington in isolating Iran.
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.
On Thursday (local time), US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also warned Iran of the “toughest sanctions in history”, saying Washington will pursue coordinated economic isolation against Tehran and seek to “collapse this regime”, Al Jazeera reported. He urged US allies to join Washington in isolating Tehran, claiming that the measures would weaken Iran’s ability to project influence globally. Bessent added that a media conference on Monday, i.e August 24, would reveal “exactly what we’re going to do” against Iran. (ANI)
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