US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the “most devastating economic operation ever carried out against any country” against Iran, at a time when negotiations for a deal remain at a complete impasse.
In a post on Truth Social , the US president argued that no one gave the Islamic Republic a greater opportunity to reach a deal than he did, but Tehran did not seize that opportunity. He warned that “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale” would follow.
The most crucial part of the announcement, however, does not concern Iran itself, but third countries. Trump made it clear that any country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports or government agencies to provide any form of support to Tehran will face “tremendous economic consequences” itself.
The US president specifically named the channels that he said must be closed immediately : oil smuggling, exchange lines, cash transfers, currency exchanges, registries and shell companies. “You know who you are,” he said, addressing those who facilitate Iranian transactions.
Calling the initiative “Economic D-Day,” Trump called on all US allies to stand by Washington in order, as he said, to isolate and defeat the Iranian threat.
In the same post, the US president presented a picture of complete military and economic disorganization of Tehran, claiming that Iran’s naval fleet has disappeared, its air force has been destroyed, its military factories have been reduced to rubble and the country’s currency has become worthless. The country, he said, is “hanging by a thread”, while he spoke of measures that will paralyze the Iranian leadership’s ability to act abroad.
The post closed with the firm declaration of American policy, written in capital letters: Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon .
The announcement comes at a time of heightened uncertainty about the future of the crisis. The temporary ceasefire agreement has already expired, while Trump himself said earlier this week that no talks with Tehran are underway . For their part, Iranian sources have spoken of a move towards escalation due to the diplomatic impasse.
The shift to the economic sphere is expected to test Washington’s relations with a number of countries that maintain commercial or financial ties with Iran, as the threat of secondary sanctions shifts the costs of the confrontation to third parties. The United Arab Emirates has already announced the suspension of all its financial and economic transactions with Tehran.
Markets are closely monitoring developments, with crude oil prices already at their highest levels in recent weeks, amid restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz .
