Iran president says 'US will achieve nothing' with economic pressure

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that the "United States will achieve nothing" with its new round of economic sanctions, local media reported, as talks with Washington remain stalled over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Why does Iran's president say US economic pressure will fail?

Pezeshkian says Iran's economic sectors have already prepared for the new sanctions, so the pressure will have no more effect than the war did. He argues Washington failed to achieve its aims through military force and will fail again through economic coercion.

"With the measures that the government's economic sectors have foreseen, America will not achieve anything with economic pressure at this stage, just as it was unable to achieve anything in the war," Pezeshkian said, according to ISNA news agency.

What new US sanctions has Iran responded to?

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out plans on Monday for the "economic asphyxiation" of Iran, warning of dire consequences for countries that do not join the campaign. Iran's leaders have dismissed the impact of the new measures, having already endured decades-long crippling sanctions since shortly after the 1979 revolution.

"Our principle is understanding and resolving issues through interaction and negotiation, but at the same time, we will stand firm against economic pressures, as we have done so far and will continue to do," Pezeshkian added.

Why are US-Iran talks stalled over the Strait of Hormuz?

Negotiations between Iran and the United States have stalled as the two foes wrangle over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the vital waterway, which normally carries around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports, remains largely paralyzed, disrupting global energy markets.

Iran has exerted control over Hormuz since the outbreak of the war on February 28 and has sought to impose fees on vessels transiting the strait. The United States wants the strait to return to its pre-war system of free navigation, and President Donald Trump has claimed that Washington "has total control" over the waterway.