US Treasury Secretary Scott Basnet launched today (Monday) the "economic isolation" operation against Iran - and announced the imposition of new sanctions against nearly 60 people, entities and vessels.
The Minister of Finance clarified the administration's policy: "We have told all countries that they must stop trade relations with Iran, or they will face American sanctions.".
He added: "World leaders must now choose between isolation and prosperity - between the United States and Iran.".
Bassant said at a press conference: "Iran now faces a very clear choice, and there are only two paths open to it: complete global isolation and a survival economy, or a return to normality with the opportunity to rejoin the global economy.".
He emphasized: "The Treasury Department has mapped every node, every facilitator, and every network that Iran used to smuggle oil and evade sanctions.".
The remarks were made ahead of the president's speech later this evening, after he announced last week that he would carry out what he called an "economic D-day" against Iran.
Although the Finance Minister refrained from setting an exact target date for ceasing trade with Tehran, he noted that the timeframe for this would be in the near future.
The current wave of sanctions targets five key areas: technology, digital assets, gold, aviation, and maritime transport. As part of the move, it was decided to revoke the general licenses that allowed the transfer of certain compensation payments to Iran.
The network targeted by the sanctions includes a shadow fleet with vessels in the Emirates, China, Singapore, Switzerland, and Europe.
In response, Iran issued a threat to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates demanding that American forces be expelled from their territory. The regime informed the Gulf states that if American forces remain on their territory, Iran will return to attacking strategic installations and forces on their territory.
