Iran warns the US of a boomerang effect in an economic war

Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf has warned the US of a boomerang effect in response to Washington's planned tightening of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

He shared a cartoon on X that insinuated that the economic war announced by Washington would end up hitting the US itself.

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he intended to dramatically increase economic pressure on Iran, describing it as an "economic D-Day" for the country.

He also threatened supporters of Tehran with drastic measures but initially gave no details of his plans. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to brief journalists at a press conference on Monday about the initiative, describing the measures as "the toughest sanctions in history."

Iranian state media had responded calmly to Trump's announcement. The US had been trying for years to cut off all financial and economic ties with Iran, the Tasnim news agency wrote. Iran had, however, "learned to circumvent these restrictions and has become very adept at doing so."

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made similar remarks on Sunday, saying economic warfare was a recurring pattern and part of Washington's long-standing intimidation tactics. Iran had learned to deal with it, he added.

Despite the sophisticated system for evading sanctions, Iran's economic development has been under severe pressure for years. The population is suffering under a sharp rise in inflation.

The new head of Iran's National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaee, also warned oil-rich neighbouring countries on Saturday not to take part in an economic war against Iran. Anyone who did so would be regarded as an enemy, he said on state television, adding that not a drop of oil would pass through the Persian Gulf.