Tehran (HRNW)- Iran has rejected US efforts to pressure other countries into reducing their economic relations with Tehran, saying sovereign governments should determine their trade and financial ties according to their own interests.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded on social media to comments by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said Washington had dispatched teams to countries around the world to encourage measures aimed at economically isolating Iran.
Gharibabadi said independent governments make decisions about their economic and trade relations with Iran based on their own interests and considerations rather than instructions from the US Treasury Department. He also argued that the use of threats and sanctions to impose policies on other countries was becoming less effective.
Bessent said on September 26 that Treasury teams had been sent overseas to seek stronger restrictions on Iran and pointed to recent measures taken by Türkiye, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates against Iranian airlines and financial institutions as evidence of the campaign’s effects.
According to the US Treasury and reports cited by international media, restrictions have included measures affecting Iranian airlines and banks. Türkiye and Oman have halted some flights involving Mahan Air, while the UAE has imposed restrictions affecting Iranian airline operations and transactions involving Iran’s Bank Melli.
Despite the pressure campaign, Iranian airlines continue to operate some international routes, particularly to China, which has continued maintaining economic and transport links with Iran.
The US campaign is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to restrict Iran’s access to international financial and commercial networks. Washington says the measures are intended to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
Iran, meanwhile, continues to oppose unilateral US sanctions and has maintained that countries should be free to determine their relations with Tehran without external pressure.
The dispute comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Tehran over sanctions, the Strait of Hormuz, aviation restrictions, and ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the wider conflict.
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