The Trump administration has intensified its economic pressure on Iran with new sanctions and broader secondary-sanctions threats, a move officials say is meant to squeeze Tehran’s revenue but which also raises the stakes for foreign firms...
The Trump administration has intensified its economic pressure on Iran with new sanctions and broader secondary-sanctions threats, a move officials say is meant to squeeze Tehran’s revenue but which also raises the stakes for foreign firms...
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The United States has expanded its sanctions drive against Iran, unveiling a broader effort aimed at restricting the country’s access to revenue, trade channels and the international financial system. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the campaign is intended to block the economic lifelines that still support Tehran, while warning that countries and companies that continue to transact with Iran could themselves be pushed out of the dollar-based system. The Treasury said the latest steps broaden the government’s ability to target activity in several sectors of the Iranian economy. ([home.treasury.gov](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0613?utm_source=openai))
In Treasury’s account, the initiative is part of a wider pressure campaign that is no longer limited to direct designations of Iranian entities. The department has also been signalling to foreign partners that business ties with Iran could trigger secondary sanctions, a tool that can penalise non-U.S. actors for helping Tehran move money, sell oil or access technology. Reuters reported that the administration’s message was that foreign governments must choose between continued dealings with Iran and access to the U.S.-led financial order. ([investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/us-treasury-to-broaden-scope-of-secondary-sanctions-on-iran-source-says-4873545?utm_source=openai))
Treasury’s sanctions materials show the most recent pressure is aimed at sectors including shipping, aviation, digital assets, gold and technology, reflecting an effort to target the commercial routes Iran uses to earn foreign currency and evade restrictions. Treasury said those sectoral determinations expand the government’s authority to sanction foreign persons involved in, or providing services to, the affected areas of the Iranian economy. ([ofac.treasury.gov](https://ofac.treasury.gov/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/iran-sanctions?utm_source=openai))
That approach follows a pattern already visible in earlier rounds of action this month, including measures against Iranian financial and petroleum networks and against companies accused of helping move funds and goods. Treasury has repeatedly framed those steps as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign designed to cut off income that can be used for the nuclear programme, missile development, proxy groups and other activities Washington views as destabilising. ([home.treasury.gov](https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0596?utm_source=openai))
The immediate target is Iran, but the broader impact could be felt by trading partners across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Because the U.S. is threatening secondary sanctions, the policy can reach foreign banks, shipping firms, commodity traders and other companies that may have only indirect exposure to Iran. That raises compliance costs and could force firms to choose between Iranian business and access to the dollar system. ([investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/us-treasury-to-broaden-scope-of-secondary-sanctions-on-iran-source-says-4873545?utm_source=openai))
AP reported that Bessent’s warning to foreign countries and firms reflected a campaign meant to deepen Iran’s isolation at a time when the country is already under acute economic strain. The news agency also said the administration has been pairing sanctions with diplomatic pressure on governments that still buy Iranian oil or facilitate cross-border transactions. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/e367634d8853c8fa4a341132cd577f31?utm_source=openai))
Iran has already been weakened by years of sanctions, conflict and tighter enforcement against shipping and financial intermediaries. Recent reporting has described falling currency values, rising inflation and worsening pressure on households, even as analysts caution that sanctions do not always produce quick political concessions. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/73b0278a0307030588cac9f47b3443e0?utm_source=openai))
That means the new measures are likely to be judged on two fronts: whether they meaningfully reduce the money available to the Iranian state, and whether they can do so without creating major disruptions for global trade and finance. Reuters and AP both indicated that Washington is hoping the threat of broader economic isolation will persuade more foreign actors to sever ties with Tehran before the penalties deepen further. ([investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/factboxwhats-included-in-the-new-us-sanctions-campaign-to-pressure-irans-economy-4875283?utm_source=openai))
The sanctions push comes at a delicate moment in U.S.-Iran relations and amid wider regional tension. The administration has paired financial pressure with a hard line on Tehran’s nuclear and security policies, while Iranian officials have rejected the campaign as coercive and unlikely to force surrender. The result is a standoff in which sanctions are being used not just as an economic weapon, but as leverage in a broader geopolitical contest. ([bbcrecordlondon.com](https://bbcrecordlondon.com/iran-says-it-is-fully-prepared-to-counter-widened-us-economic-sanctions/?utm_source=openai))
For Kenya and other globally connected economies, the practical message is straightforward: businesses with exposure to Iran-related trade, shipping, insurance, banking or commodities should expect greater enforcement risk and more scrutiny from U.S. regulators and counterparties. Even firms with no direct Iran business may need to monitor counterparties, vessel ownership, payment chains and commodity flows more carefully as Washington widens its enforcement net. ([investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/commodities-news/us-treasury-to-broaden-scope-of-secondary-sanctions-on-iran-source-says-4873545?utm_source=openai))
The latest sanctions move is less a single announcement than a sharper phase in Washington’s campaign to isolate Iran economically. The key question now is whether the U.S. can persuade enough foreign actors to comply voluntarily — or whether the threat of secondary sanctions will trigger new friction with allies, traders and financial institutions that still see room to do business with Tehran. ([reutersconnect.com](https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/bessent-says-no-one-above-us-sanctions-in-economic-onslaught-on-iran/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1ZBNzU2NTI0MDgyMDI2UlAx?utm_source=openai))
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