Day 178 | Iran says finds new gas, after war hits energy sector

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Read more: Day 179 | US vows “economic asphyxiation” of Iran with new sanctions

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has dismissed US threats to impose new sanctions on countries maintaining economic ties with Tehran.

His comments came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that countries and entities continuing to engage with Iran could face restrictions on access to the US dollar-based financial system.

“The Americans know that no one believes their bluster,” Ghalibaf said, arguing that the US is not in an economic position to further restrict its relations with other countries.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf said Iran’s trading partners had indicated publicly and through messages to Tehran that they attached little importance to the US warnings.

Iran rejects impact of new measures
Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency quoted an unnamed senior intelligence source as saying the latest US measures were primarily aimed at influencing public opinion rather than imposing significant new economic restrictions.

The source claimed the measures were designed by US President Donald Trump’s media team to increase what it called “psychological pressure” on the Iranian population.

 

 

 

 

 

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Saudi Arabia and France have stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and called for avoiding further escalation, according to a joint statement.

Riyadh and Paris also emphasized the need for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to return to normal.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sweeping sanctions against Iran and entities facilitating its economic activity during a press conference on Monday.

“We are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” Bessent said, adding that Washington’s goal is to “sever every economic lifeline” supporting Tehran.

The Treasury Department said it had issued determinations targeting five sectors used by the Iranian government to sustain its economy: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping.

The new measures also impose sanctions on nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels linked to Iran’s economic networks.

Bessent said companies and individuals could no longer operate in what he described as “gray spaces” when engaging with Iran.

“Let there be no ambiguity as to the position of the United States,” he told reporters, warning that “economic engagement of any kind” with Iran would expose those involved to the “full reach of American power.”

US President Donald Trump has again claimed that the US is “winning” against Iran, while accusing Democrats of using what he called “fake polls” to weaken Republican support.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said Democrats were conducting what he described as “demoralization operations” aimed at discouraging Republicans from voting.

He also claimed that the US was “winning against everyone,” including Iran, whose economy and military he described as being in a “death spiral.”

Ghalibaf criticized what he described as US violations of commitments under a memorandum of understanding reached with Iran through Qatari and Pakistani mediation.

He told Munir that Washington’s actions had undermined regional stability and created further distrust, according to Mehr.

Munir said Pakistan would continue its efforts to help restore stability in the region. His visit comes as Islamabad seeks to mediate between Washington and Tehran and revive stalled negotiations.

Reuters also reported that US President Donald Trump spoke with Munir last week and urged him to use Pakistan’s influence to encourage Iran to return to negotiations. The White House has not publicly acknowledged the call.

Iran has blacklisted 45 tankers for allegedly violating its rules governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority said the vessels could face fines, detention or cargo confiscation. Iran also warned that ships conducting cargo transfers with the blacklisted tankers could face similar measures.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Mohsen Mohbi warned that any threat to Iran’s critical infrastructure would be met with “heavy strategic strikes” against US energy chokepoints and vital interests.

Mohbi said Iran continues to produce “smart and guided missiles,” rejecting what he described as an enemy assumption that the country’s weapons stockpiles are limited.

He said the “most important achievement” of the war was the ability to shift vulnerability toward critical infrastructure and facilities linked to the opposing side.

“Today, the United States understands well that if it carries out its threats against Iran’s infrastructure, it will face heavy strategic strikes against its energy chokepoints and vital interests,” Mohbi said.

He claimed this reality had contributed to the failure of what he called several of the enemy’s stated objectives, including the “demonstrative reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said it targeted a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile.

The group’s military spokesman said the tanker, identified as Amzan, was targeted off the coast of Yanbu. He claimed the missile strike was direct and caused a large fire on board.

There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.

Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile about 63 nautical miles, or 117 kilometers, west of Yanbu.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to provide further details on Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Iran during a press conference on Monday, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the plans.

The measures are expected to broaden secondary sanctions targeting countries and entities that continue doing business with Iran.

The source said Bessent will also warn countries that failing to align with Washington could expose major companies and entities to exclusion from the dollar-based financial system.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported “hostile” drone activity over the capital, Beirut, beginning around noon local time on Monday.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the economic war is currently the main battlefield in the confrontation with its adversaries.

The IRGC said economic pressure and sanctions are intended to put pressure on Iranian citizens and undermine social trust.

It also expressed its readiness to cooperate fully with the government in addressing the country’s challenges.

The IRGC said that, under the current difficult conditions, overcoming economic challenges and securing the welfare of Iranian citizens are achievements no less important than victories on the battlefield.

US President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that "IRAN IS COMPLETELY COLLAPSING!!!", reiterating his administration's stance amid ongoing military and economic pressure on Tehran.

• Oman FM to visit Tehran for Hormuz talks.
• Albusaidi set to meet Iran’s Araghchi.
• Talks focus on Hormuz security and navigation.
• Visit follows Pakistan mediation efforts with Iran. 

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi will travel to Tehran on Tuesday, to conduct high-level talks with Iranian officials focused on the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed the scheduled visit on Monday, stating that Albusaidi will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss bilateral ties and regional maritime stability.

"This trip is in line with strengthening Iran-Oman bilateral cooperation and continuing sustained political consultations between the two sides as littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz, to help bolster peace and stability in the region," Baqaei said in a statement carried by official news outlets.

Albusaidi's scheduled arrival follows diplomatic engagements by Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Monday.

Pakistan has served as an active mediator in indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran.

The visits come as regional powers seek to establish clear protocols for commercial maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Both Oman and Iran border the strategic waterway, through which a significant portion of the world's petroleum exports pass daily.

Muscat has long acted as a key regional facilitator for diplomatic dialogue in the Gulf.

Iran’s leadership is under intensifying pressure on multiple fronts as its partial control of the Strait of Hormuz erodes, oil exports collapse, and senior officials publicly urge an end to the nearly six-month conflict with the United States, said reports from US media.

Nearly 200 vessels passed through the strait last week, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center—a roughly 400% surge over the prior two weeks.

Maritime analysts at Kpler say the rise, enabled by US Navy escorts, signals that Tehran has lost partial control of the critical waterway.

More ships are turning off transponders and slipping through under American protection, while overall flows remain a fraction of pre-war levels.

At the same time, Iran’s own oil exports have fallen near zero under a renewed US naval blockade of its ports and President Donald Trump’s “economic D-Day” measures.

Satellite imagery shows little to no activity at the vital Kharg Island oil hub, which normally handles about 90% of the country’s crude shipments, according to conservative US outlet The New York Post.

Tankers sit idle offshore with no active loadings observed in recent days, leaving Tehran few options to ease an economy already strained by historically high inflation and unemployment.

Washington continues to tighten the screws.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has signaled additional penalties under the maximum-pressure campaign.

Trump announced the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” warning that any nation providing a “lifeline” to Iran—through oil smuggling, financial channels, or other means—would face “tremendous economic consequences.”

Compounding the isolation, the United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran “until further notice” after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward its territory and maritime traffic.

The UAE has long served as a key gateway for Iranian imports and access to third-country goods.

Iran’s new security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, responded with a warning: “Any country that becomes a partner in creating economic restrictions against us will be regarded by us as an enemy.”

Hardliners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) maintain that Tehran can endure the pressure while inflicting damage on the US and its allies.

Yet cracks are appearing in the leadership. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday: “The war must come to an end at some point… It is better that we demonstrate our strength and dignity today and tell the world that we have won and that we are ending the war.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added: “No matter how much military power we have, if our people are struggling and the country lacks financial circulation and economic growth, we will not achieve progress… As someone who has experienced war, I understand the true value of peace.”

Greece has relocated a Patriot air defense battery from the island of Karpathos to Crete to bolster protection around the strategically vital Souda Bay military base, according to sources cited by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

The system, along with its personnel and equipment, was transferred overnight on Sunday and is expected to be positioned near the base, which hosts Greek, US, and NATO forces.

The decision follows reports of threats by senior Iranian officials against American military targets in Europe.

Sources close to leadership in Tehran told the Financial Times that Iran has assessed the option of striking US assets in southeastern Europe—including facilities in Bulgaria and Cyprus—if US President Donald Trump escalates the ongoing conflict.

One Iranian insider stated: “Should the US go too far, Iran will defend itself at any price, go beyond the region and hit Europe too.”

Another warned that “a very big mistake, such as hitting our infrastructure, could make the war go beyond the region and reach Europe.”

Allied intelligence assessments indicate that Iran retains a significant number of ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 2,000 kilometers, potentially placing targets in southeastern Europe, including Greece, within reach.

Greek officials are evaluating risks to critical infrastructure and military facilities as tensions continue between Iran, the United States, and ‘Israel’.

Greece’s Defense Ministry and armed forces remain on heightened alert.

The Patriot battery had been deployed to Karpathos in March as part of Greece’s broader effort to reinforce defenses against ballistic missile threats during the earlier phase of US and ‘Israeli’ operations against Iran.

Souda Bay, on Crete’s northwestern coast, is one of the most important military hubs in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Athens is maintaining close contacts with the United States and ‘Israel’ regarding potential threats to Greek and Cypriot facilities.

Greece is also prepared to consider providing air defense assistance to Bulgaria if Sofia submits a formal request.

Meanwhile, Athens is reviewing whether to extend or terminate the deployment of another Greek Patriot unit in Saudi Arabia, where it has operated since 2021 and intercepted missiles and drones targeting Saudi infrastructure.

US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent warned Monday that the United States will “sever every economic lifeline” for Iran, as president Trump said earlier that Tehran will suffer an economic “D-Day”.

Bessent, in statements to Financial Times, said that the upcoming sanctions will be the “single greatest financial offensive” and that any countries trading with Tehran will be declared as “global pariahs” for Washington.

'Israel’s' internal security agency, Shin Bet, has launched a broad awareness campaign within the Haredi community after identifying what it says are Iranian attempts to exploit the sector to recruit agents and spies, according to a report by journalist Shilo Fried in Yedioth Ahronoth.

The report said Shin Bet officers have contacted Haredi opinion leaders, rabbis, newspaper editors and local authority heads to warn against suspicious recruitment approaches, including requests to photograph locations or transport packages in exchange for money.

Security officials reportedly warned that limited exposure to digital media among some members of the community could make them more vulnerable to online recruitment and manipulation.

Read more: Iran executes January protest detainee accused of espionage

Warnings from rabbis

The campaign has included public warnings from Rabbi Yigal Cohen, as well as articles in Haredi publications including Yated Ne'eman and Rega highlighting alleged Iranian recruitment efforts.

Media figures have also promoted the warnings, while Yedidya Lau, an adviser involved in local coordination, has participated in efforts to raise awareness within the community.

Shin Bet said in an official response that its legal mandate includes preventing intelligence threats, which requires conducting awareness activities to strengthen security readiness among different sectors of society.

The report comes amid heightened security tensions and growing 'Israeli' media focus on alleged Iranian espionage and recruitment efforts. However, the report did not provide verified statistics on the number of cases detected or prevented.

For coverage of the previous day, visit the link below.

Read more: Day 177 | Iran warns countries against joining US sanctions