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United States President Donald Trump on August 19 declared “ECONOMIC D-DAY” against Iran, warning that any country doing business with the Islamic Republic will face “TREMENDOUS economic consequences.”
“Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a deal than me. TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it,” the U.S. president continued.
“Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!” he added.
Trump insisted that it “will be economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale,” warning other countries against dealing with Iran.
“Today, I am also announcing that ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS economic consequences,” Trump said.
“This will be an ECONOMIC D-DAY, and we need all of our allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate and defeat the Iran threat,” the U.S. president declared.
“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide,” he wrote, without describing what the measures actually are.
“IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he concluded.
Trump stated that he was not interested in talks with Iran, but before making his declaration he said he was open to resuming them.
The U.S. president has made countless threats of devastating force and economic sanctions against Iran, only to walk those back, while claiming progress in negotiations toward an agreement every time.
Responding, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on August 20 that the newly announced U.S. “economic D-Day” against Iran is a “diversion from America’s own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs.”
“Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat—and enmity of Iranians,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “US economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide”
Trump’s latest announcement was not surprising; several recent reports revealed that the U.S. was inclined to prioritize economic pressure over military action, which has failed for more than five months to subdue the Islamic Republic or even to loosen its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
This new economic pressure campaign is unlikely to succeed. Iran has long found ways around sanctions, relying on oil smuggling, informal financial networks, front companies and trade with nations that disregard Western restrictions. It has weathered repeated rounds of U.S. and international sanctions by adapting its economy.
If the measures begin to bite, Iran is more likely to escalate than concede. It could resume attacks across the region, dragging the U.S. to another costly round of fighting.
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