Iran's IRGC says US economic blockade could cost Washington more than Tehran

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Sunday that the US economic and maritime blockade against Tehran could cost Washington several times more than Iran.

"If the US wants to inflict one dollar of economic damage on Iran, it may face several dollars in costs and losses itself," IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohibi told Iran's Mehr News Agency.

He asserted that Iran would not surrender to sanctions and pressure.

Mohibi claimed US President Donald Trump had believed Washington could force Iran to retreat by relying on its military power, naval fleet and aircraft carriers. However, he added, recent developments have shown those calculations to be wrong.

Mohibi argued that the US, already facing heavy debt and economic competition with China and other countries, would struggle to prevail in what he described as an economic war against Iran.

He also claimed that regional developments have put pressure on US strategic reserves and affected access to some raw materials, including through disruptions to aluminum production and exports in the region.

Mohibi said the developments showed that economic pressure and a blockade did not necessarily guarantee victory and could impose high costs on the country enforcing them.

The ongoing conflict began when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, followed by Iranian retaliatory attacks against US and Israeli targets and heightened tensions over maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

Washington has also intensified economic pressure on Tehran alongside its military operations, imposing sanctions targeting Iran's oil, shipping, aviation, technology and financial sectors.

Iranian officials have described the sanctions and restrictions on maritime trade as an economic war and blockade.