Pezeshkian Defies US Sanctions as Iran Blocks Hormuz Strait

President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that the United States will fail to achieve its objectives through economic pressure, asserting that Washington will gain nothing from financial squeeze tactics. Speaking to youth and economic officials at the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran, Pezeshkian vowed that Iran would not surrender to economic warfare designed to incite internal chaos.

These statements follow the launch of Operation Economic Outcast by the administration of US President Donald Trump. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the initiative as an economic strangulation of the Iranian government, implementing a sanctions blitz targeting aviation, maritime shipping, gold markets, technology, and digital assets while blacklisting over 60 entities and vessels.

The diplomatic standoff coincides with a conflict over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has controlled since February 28. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has paralyzed traffic and attempted to impose transit fees, warning that no vessel may pass without Iranian permission. While Donald Trump claims Washington has total control over the waterway and demands a return to free navigation, the Guard maintains the strait will remain closed unless US conditions are met.

Regional stability is further strained by the collapse of the June 17 Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The 14-point peace agreement, brokered by Pakistan with support from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, aimed to halt US-Israeli military aggression and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran recently suspended its obligations under the accord, alleging the United States acted in bad faith. Pakistan is currently conducting high-level shuttle diplomacy to salvage the framework and prevent open conflict.