Trump Launches Economic Sanctions to Pressure Iran Negotiations

President Donald Trump launched Operation Economic Outcast, an economic campaign involving enhanced sanctions against Iran and 60 international entities. The initiative, described as an economic D-Day, follows the expiration of a 60-day memorandum of understanding earlier this month and aims to pressure Tehran to return to negotiations to end a conflict that began on February 28.

Trump stated he has no time schedule for the return to talks, a shift from his previous assertions that the war would conclude within four to six weeks. The sanctions have contributed to record inflation in Iran, with the rial falling past 2 million to the US dollar.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran condemned the measures as systematic bullying and a threat to international law. Meanwhile, the United States Department of the Treasury avoided targeting major Chinese entities to prevent destabilizing the global financial system.