Tehran Says US Sanctions Are 'Declaration Of War' On All Nations, Urges Global Revolt

Tehran has on Saturday further addressed the new Trump-Bessent plan of long-term economic 'strangulation' and isolation, which in the US Treasury Secretary's words seeks to "collapse" the Iranian government with the "toughest sanctions in history." This of course means that Washington will have to at the same time pressure other nations that do business with Tehran to immediately cease, which could prove a tall order - given already China and Russia are clearly not going to comply.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the new sanctions initiative amounts to a "declaration of war" on all countries and goes beyond "an illegal economic war against a single nation." Via EPA

Baghaei said: “The announcement of new sanctions represents an attempt by the United States to exert extraterritorial sovereignty over all independent UN member states.”

"No government has the right to force foreign banks, enterprises, or airports, each operating under the exclusive jurisdiction of their own sovereignty, to refrain from engaging in legitimate trade with a third country," he continued, according to Fars news agency.

The ministery added that "such secondary sanctions have no basis in international law" and "violated the fundamental principle of sovereign equality enshrined in Article 2, Paragraph 1 of the UN Charter."

Baghaei previewed and warned that a surrender to "such intimidation would lead to the total erosion of national sovereignty" and serve as "a catastrophic return to blatant, full-scale colonialism."

This is clearly an attempt to put other countries on notice, urging them not to play Washington's game. The appeal might gain a sympathetic ear especially in BRICS and Global South countries.

The statement was issued on the heels of Iran's military days ago giving a more direct warning and threat to America's regional Gulf allies. On Wednesday Ali Abdollahi, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, announced that "any assistance or facilitation provided to the aggressor US military amounts to participation in the US military operation."

"It seems unlikely that such a large number of military aircraft, particularly refuelling aircraft, could be present at regional bases without knowledge of host countries," said Abdollahi.

All of this is a mirror response to Bessent's Bush-style "you're either with us or against us" rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator, has issued some fresh words of his own. He claimed Tehran has received "numerous messages" related to new security and economic arrangements in the region as a result of US-Israeli aggression.

"The United States put the security of every single one of its allies at such risk through bullying and pure disregard for their interests for the sake of Israel that they briefly saw their entire existence on the line,” Ghalibaf stated on X.

"A homegrown, independent order is what will actually deliver peace and security," he added. Iran has for months said that various countries are seeking to strike their own separate arrangements for vessel passage through the Strait of Hormuz, something which if true gives the Islamic Republic further leverage. But the White House has been seeking to counter this narrative by feeding reports to Axios...

There are essentially two ways to interpret the administration’s claims about the volume of oil now moving through the Strait of Hormuz. The first is that Washington is significantly overstating the numbers in an effort to calm energy markets, push oil prices down, and… https://t.co/RJKJyER3nt — Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz ,داني سيترينوفيتش (@citrinowicz) August 22, 2026 At the moment, Axios is claiming that millions of barrels of oil are still transiting via a 'stealth' corridor ensured by the US Navy, but there are many expressing skepticism over this. The past days have actually seen no new attacks on foreign vessels in the strait, as the plot thickens over competing narratives (given the Iranians have dismissed the Axios reporting as fabrications).

Tyler Durden Sat, 08/22/2026 - 13:25

Iran has granted permission for a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following repeated requests from Baghdad through various channels, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday. IRNA said obtaining special permission for Iraqi tankers was one of Baghdad’s main requests during Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq.

Iraqi President Nizar Amedi said on Saturday that Iran had facilitated the passage of vessels carrying Iraqi oil through the Strait in recent days and Baghdad had discussed the export of Iraqi oil through Hormuz with Iranian officials. The issue remained complicated, he added, speaking at the Baghdad Dialogue policy conference.

Iraq significantly impacted by blockade on Strait of Hormuz Iraq has been among the countries most affected by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the strait remains significantly below pre-war levels, and ships continue to face Iranian attacks in the area.

Iraq produced around 4 million barrels of oil per day before the outbreak of the Iran war. Baghdad is working to expand its exports through Turkey's Ceyhan port and also to begin exporting oil through Syria's Baniyas port and Jordan's Aqaba port, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said on Friday.

- The U.S. and Iran have maintained their war of words even as kinetic strikes on one another's targets have halted in recent days. - The U.S. is planning on implementing a tough round of new sanctions against Iran. - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has told CNBC that the measures would negate the need for more military action.

- An announcement on the details of the economic measures is due Monday. Iran maintained its harsh rhetoric Saturday against the U.S.' plans to impose tough new sanctions. "The United States' declaration of new economic sanctions on Iran is far more than continued unlawful 'economic warfare' against a single country," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X.

"It is an assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent Member State of the United Nations." U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Thursday that the Trump administration's plan to crush Iran's economy will likely negate the need for major U.

S. military operations against the Islamic Republic. Bessent vowed that the U.S. will create "the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world" against Iran. He said he will hold a news conference on Monday to "talk about exactly what we're going to do.

" In a preview of the plan, he said that the U.S. will be telling all of its allies, "You are either with us or against us." Vice President JD Vance said economic pressure is the United States' "most effective tool" against Iran. Speaking on a podcast, Vance said that the move was "a delicate dance" as both sides apply pressure to each other, but added that "what has been true over the last couple of weeks is they felt a lot more pressure than we have.

" Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told an event in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Friday that Muslim countries must make a plan to overcome "cruel" sanctions, according to a government summary of his comments. 'Crushing economic operation' The comments came after U.

S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. will launch what he called the "most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country" against Iran. Trump also threatened severe financial penalties on any nation that helps Tehran evade sanctions, and added that "this will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.

" While both sides have held off attacking one another's targets in recent days, shipping through the economically crucial Strait of Hormuz remains a fraction of its levels before the U.S. launched its war against Iran on Feb. 28. Negotiations to reopen the strait have stalled.

Recently observed ship traffic through Hormuz has remained low, with 10 crossings on Monday and two transits on Sunday, according to data provided by the trade intelligence firm Kpler. Oil prices were little changed Friday after Iran's president indicated that Tehran wants the war with the U.

S. to end sooner rather than later. Brent crude futures added 61 cents to close at $94.39 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 23 cents to $87.06. Oil prices finished the week more than 5% higher after Bessent's comments. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described his country's memorandum of understanding with the U.

S. signed on June 17 as a victory for the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian said "it is better to end the war today" when Iran is "in a position of power and dignity," according to the state news agency PressTV. The MOU allowed Tehran to determine how the Strait of Hormuz would be administered through negotiations with Oman and the other Gulf states.

One analyst questioned the effectiveness of the new round of economic penalties. Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets said Iran is already one of the most sanctioned countries in the world. It is not clear whether the U.

S. will go after China and Russia who are partners of Iran, Croft told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." The question is whether more sanctions will change Iran's behavior, Croft said. Tehran appears to believe that it can outlast the U.S., she said.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Brunei expressed profound concern over the heightened tensions and renewed hostilities in West Asia, particularly involving the United States and Israel against Iran, and the retaliatory strikes against several countries in the region.

In a joint statement issued following the 27th Annual Leaders’ Consultation in Bandar Seri Begawan on Saturday, Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the situation had resulted in civilian casualties, damage to infrastructure and a worsening humanitarian situation.

“They urged all parties to exercise restraint, avoid further escalation, respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, and return to dialogue and diplomacy, towards ending the hostilities and coming to a resolution,” the statement said.

The leaders further noted that the situation had disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, affecting global supply chains in energy and essential goods. “In this regard, they underscored the importance of maintaining maritime safety and security, and upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“They expressed deep concern over any discriminatory or unilateral measures which are inconsistent with international law, and called for the restoration of the safe, unimpeded, and continuous transit passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the 1982 UNCLOS,” it said.

On Palestine, both leaders emphasised that the Palestinian issue remains the root cause of conflict and broader instability in the region and expressed strong condemnation against the continued acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing committed by Israel, the Occupying Power.

They also condemned the indiscriminate violence and blockade of humanitarian access and aid delivery, which have resulted in mass casualties and prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people. The leaders urged the international community to act decisively to end the cycle of impunity, including by ensuring respect for international law and securing a permanent ceasefire, with a view to ending the occupation and aggression by the Occupying Power.

Both leaders also welcomed the growing global momentum towards recognising Palestinian statehood and reiterated their call for Palestine’s admission as a full Member State of the United Nations. On a broader regional context, the leaders also strongly condemned the targeting of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), comprising personnel from the Malaysian Battalion and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF).

Both leaders emphasised that the safety and security of United Nations personnel must be fully ensured, and called upon all parties to take immediate and concrete steps to ensure accountability for all attacks against United Nations personnel and their premises.

They also called for full respect for UNIFIL’s mandate, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and 2823 (2026). -- BERNAMA BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.

bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies. Follow us on social media : Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio Twitter : @bernama.