Tehran Warns US Will Lose Another ‘Economic War’

Iran has dismissed the United States’ latest threat of what it described as a “devastating economic attack”, warning that Washington will face another major failure if it pursues further economic pressure against Tehran.

A senior Iranian diplomat criticised the US approach, arguing that a series of strategic miscalculations had repeatedly left Washington facing setbacks. The comments came amid renewed tensions between the two countries over economic restrictions and wider political disputes.

According to international broadcaster Al Jazeera, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, made the remarks on Thursday, 20 August. He criticised the economic measures announced by former US President Donald Trump and expressed Tehran’s opposition in a post on the social media platform X.

Without directly naming Washington, Gharibabadi wrote that those responsible were being forced to create even greater defeats for themselves with every new step, apparently in an effort to cover up previous failures.

The Iranian official also drew a direct comparison between military and economic pressure. He argued that military confrontation had failed to achieve its intended objectives and suggested that what was now being described as an “economic war” represented another attempt to exert pressure on Iran.

His comments reflect Tehran’s longstanding position that sanctions and economic restrictions will not force Iran to abandon its core policies. The Iranian government has repeatedly portrayed US sanctions as part of a broader pressure campaign aimed at weakening the country economically and politically.

The dispute over economic sanctions has been a central feature of US-Iranian relations for years. During Trump’s first presidency, Washington adopted a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran, including the reimposition of extensive sanctions after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement. The measures targeted key areas of Iran’s economy and sought to restrict its access to international markets and financial systems.

Iran, for its part, has consistently rejected the US sanctions regime and accused Washington of using economic pressure as a tool to influence Iranian foreign and domestic policy. Tehran has also sought to maintain commercial relations with countries willing to continue trading with it despite American restrictions.

Gharibabadi’s latest remarks suggest that Iran intends to maintain the same confrontational position in response to any fresh economic measures. Rather than viewing additional sanctions as a decisive threat, Tehran appears to regard them as another stage in Washington’s broader pressure campaign.

The exchange also highlights the continuing fragility of relations between the two countries. Economic sanctions remain one of Washington’s principal instruments for exerting pressure on Tehran, while Iran continues to reject what it considers unilateral American demands.

For Tehran, the message is clear: economic pressure will not produce the political outcome Washington seeks. Gharibabadi’s warning suggests that Iran believes another round of sanctions or economic restrictions could ultimately become another setback for the United States rather than a decisive victory over its regional rival.