US to Soon Announce New Sanctions on Iran

2026-08-20

Stricter sanctions

US President Donald Trump said on the 19th on social media that he would soon announce new economic sanctions against Iran. He said it would amount to an economic war on an unprecedented scale, warning that countries allowing financial institutions, private companies and government agencies to do business with Iran would suffer 'huge losses'.

He posted that no one had given Iran as many chances to make deals as he had, arguing that Iran had failed to make use of them. He described the sanctions as 'the most shocking economic operation ever carried out on any country'.

Rising tensions with Iran

He also wrote that 'all allies need to stand with the United States and isolate and defeat Iran', calling for an immediate halt to oil smuggling and financial transactions. He added that 'Iran will never possess nuclear weapons'.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on the 13th that strengthened sanctions measures would be announced 'next week'. As diplomatic talks have stalled over Iran's de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and military strikes are difficult to sustain because of shortages of US military weapons, the administration sees economic pressure as its remaining card.

Trump told reporters at the White House on the 19th that measures to block ships entering and leaving Iranian ports had been '100% successful', claiming that not a single vessel had been allowed into Iran. 'Let's see what happens,' he said, again signaling his intent to pressure Iran through economic means.

Support for maritime traffic

Meanwhile, the US military is assisting the passage of civilian vessels such as oil tankers on the southern route on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz. Several US media outlets reported on the 19th that such operations have achieved some success in oil transport. They also appear intended to demonstrate US superiority over Iran, which claims control of the strait.

Iran has been taking an increasingly hard line against the United States. It has warned that it will resume attacks if Washington does not carry out the memorandum it signed in June aimed at ending the fighting, and it remains unclear whether it will buckle under economic pressure. The confrontation could also become more acute.

Enjoyed this article? Share it with your network!