TEHRAN: Iran has urged countries around the world to refrain from enforcing 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 countries had an obligation not to implement the sanctions, arguing that compliance would amount to complicity in their enforcement.
The ministry condemned the latest US economic measures as illegal and described them as “state terrorism” and a crime against humanity. It warned that the sanctions could seriously endanger the health and livelihoods of millions of civilians.
Iran called on the international community to uphold the rule of law and said Tehran would use all available capabilities to defend itself against what it described as a combined US-Israeli military and economic assault.
Earlier this week, Washington announced a broader package of economic sanctions aimed at intensifying 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 Iran-linked entities with warnings that foreign businesses accused of helping Tehran evade sanctions could also face penalties.
Washington has not yet identified specific countries that could be targeted or provided firm dates for when possible secondary measures would take effect.
Under the expanded 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 widening the range of activities that could trigger secondary sanctions, including transactions involving cryptocurrencies, gold, technology, aviation and shipping.
The US 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 target networks accused of involvement 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 have also been 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 that pose 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 allegedly involved in Iranian crude exports, including entities and individuals based in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The United States has also designated five tankers as part of what it calls Iran’s “shadow fleet”. The vessels have been classified as blocked property, preventing US persons and entities from conducting financial transactions involving them.
The latest exchange marks another escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with Iran seeking international opposition to the sanctions while the United States continues to expand economic and financial pressure on the Iranian government.
