Initial expectations that Tehran’s regime would either fall or agree to Washington’s demands to relinquish uranium enrichment and its nuclear program proved unfounded. After failing militarily to achieve this objective, the US now intends to accomplish it through economic strategies. The US warning about new economic sanctions on Iran and its trading partners suggests that this conflict has not brought the United States closer to halting Iran’s nuclear program or weakening its regime.
Iran has endured over 20 years of US economic maximum pressure campaigns and has managed to survive. Therefore, it is unlikely they will agree to a settlement that favors the United States. The US has warned of imposing strict sanctions on any country or entity that maintains economic relations with Iran, potentially threatening China, Russia and India. China is Iran’s biggest trading partner, buying an estimated 80% of Iran’s exported oil last year, and it certainly is not going to cut ties with its old ally.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the new economic sanctions Operation Economic Outcast and compared them to the D-Day Normandy landings, a pivotal event in World War II. Bessent explained that the US had identified specific entities and set a deadline for each to cease its activities. Failure to comply would result in their disconnection from the US dollar system.
In a Financial Times article, Bessent said: “Either the countries are with us or against us. It’s time for our allies and the rest of the world to choose, because we will cripple this regime’s economy. Those who cut Iran’s financial and commercial ties will benefit by gaining better access to global markets, boosting confidence in their economies, and achieving the international stature they desire.”
Meanwhile, Iran pledged to respond to any nation participating in US-led isolation efforts. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the armed forces’ chief of staff, said retaliation could include land, sea, or air strikes or cyberattacks. Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, warned that “if the US moves forward and neighboring countries cooperate on economic measures, Tehran will retaliate with a response as severe as an earthquake. This includes blocking all oil exports from the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as targeting alternative export routes from the Gulf.”
The time has come for nations to unite against the dollar, as this US announcement is not solely aimed at Iran but also serves as a display of global dominance. The insistence that no nation permit its banks, companies, airports, or ship registries to engage in legitimate trade with another nation applies to all countries. Ultimately, sovereignty itself becomes the primary objective.
Pressuring or intimidating other nations to cease or restrict trade with a third country undermines a core principle of international relations and a key pillar of the United Nations Charter: respect for national sovereignty. This is the second time this voice has come from the US – recall President George W. Bush, the former ‘butcher-in-chief’, stating on September 20, 2001, “either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists” during his speech to a joint session of Congress. And now, Bessent states, “Either the countries are with us or against us.”
Arrogance shouldn’t have a place in world politics. Watch what Bessent said: “Those who cut Iran’s financial ties will benefit by gaining better access to global markets and achieving the international stature they desire.” This statement explicitly claims that without cooperation with the US, a nation has no right to exist on earth.
The voice should first come from China, Russia, and India. It’s time to launch the BRICS currency.
