Ahmet Dursun, Yilmaz Ozturk, and Rania Abushamala
22 August 2026•Update: 22 August 2026
The latest threatened US economic sanctions against Iran are “bound to fail,” said the country’s foreign minister on Friday, citing the outcome of several previous efforts targeting Tehran.
“14 years ago: ‘Most crippling sanctions in history.’ Failed. 8 years ago: ‘Maximum pressure.’ Failed,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on US social media company X.
He added that a call five months ago for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” had also failed.
Araghchi said the “most crushing economic operation ever” newly announced by US President Donald Trump is also bound to fail.
He also posted an image of former US President Barack Obama containing a 2012 statement by then-Vice President Joe Biden describing the measures against Iran as “the most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions.”
On Wednesday, Trump announced his intention to launch what he called “the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” describing his maximum-pressure campaign against Iran as “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.”
He vowed to sever the financial channels supporting Tehran, warning that countries that provide Iran with an economic “lifeline” – through their financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities – would face severe economic consequences.
Calling the campaign an “Economic D-Day,” Trump called on Washington’s allies to join his latest attempt to financially cripple Tehran.