Iran urges countries to reject implementation of US sanctions

Iran has called on countries to refrain from enforcing the United States sanctions against Tehran, describing participation in the measures as support for what it considers the unlawful imposition of one state’s policies on sovereign nations.

In a statement issued on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said all countries had an obligation not to implement the sanctions, arguing that compliance would amount to complicity in their enforcement.

The ministry also condemned the latest US economic measures as illegal and described them as “state terrorism” and a crime against humanity. According to the statement, the sanctions could seriously endanger the health and livelihoods of millions of civilians.

It called on the international community to uphold the rule of law and said Tehran would use all its capabilities to defend itself against what it called a combined U.S.-Israeli military and economic assault.

Wider Iran sanctions target trade networks and foreign partners

Earlier this week, the U.S. had announced a broader package of economic sanctions aimed at increasing pressure on Iran and discouraging foreign companies and governments from maintaining certain forms of trade with Tehran.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the campaign as a major escalation, combining new restrictions on Iranian-linked entities with warnings that foreign businesses involved in sanctions evasion could also face penalties. However, Washington has not yet identified specific countries that would be targeted or provided firm dates for when possible measures against them would take effect.

Under the new approach, foreign entities accused of helping Iran bypass US sanctions or facilitate money laundering could lose access to the American financial system. Washington is also expanding the range of activities that could trigger so-called secondary sanctions, including transactions involving cryptocurrencies, gold, technology, aviation and shipping.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has separately imposed sanctions on nearly 60 individuals, companies and vessels allegedly connected to Iran. The measures focus on networks involved in defence procurement, nuclear and missile-related activities, cyber operations and the international trade of Iranian oil.

More than 20 of the newly sanctioned targets are based in the Middle East and Asia. US officials accuse them of providing financial or logistical assistance to Iranian nuclear and missile programmes. Several China-based companies were also targeted over alleged supplies of dual-use goods to an Iranian technology institute that had previously been sanctioned.

Washington has further expanded restrictions against individuals it accuses of cybercrime and activities posing risks to US national security.

Iran’s oil industry remains a central focus of the sanctions campaign. The latest measures target brokers, bunkering companies and financial intermediaries involved in Iranian crude exports, including entities and individuals based in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The US has also designated five tankers as part of what it calls Iran’s “shadow fleet.” These vessels have been classified as blocked property, preventing US persons and entities from conducting financial transactions involving them.