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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday that a new round of U.S. economic sanctions would fail to achieve its goals, as tensions between Tehran and Washington remain centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“With the measures that the government's economic sectors have foreseen, America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war,” Pezeshkian said, according to the ISNA news agency.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday outlined plans for what he called the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran and warned of consequences for countries that do not join the campaign.
Iranian leaders have dismissed the expected impact of the measures, pointing to decades of sanctions imposed since shortly after the 1979 revolution.
Pezeshkian said Iran’s priority remained resolving disputes through dialogue while resisting economic pressure.
“Our principle is understanding and resolving issues through interaction and negotiation, but at the same time, we will stand firm against economic pressures, as we have done so far and will continue to do,” he said.
Negotiations between Iran and the U.S. have stalled as the two sides remain at odds over the Strait of Hormuz.
Traffic through the strategic waterway, which normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports, remains largely paralyzed, disrupting global energy markets.
Iran has exercised control over the strait since the war began on Feb. 28 and has sought to impose fees on vessels passing through the waterway.
The U.S. wants Hormuz to return to its pre-war system of free navigation, while President Donald Trump has said Washington “has total control” over the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards rejected that claim Wednesday, saying Hormuz “is under our control” and that no vessel could pass without Iran’s permission.
“If America does not accept our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened under any circumstances,” the Guards said.
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