Iran warns of ‘devastating’ response to new US threats as oil prices rise on sanctions plan

Iran has warned of a "devastating" response to new US threats as Washington prepares to impose tougher sanctions. The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, is set to announce the sanctions on Monday, which could impact Iran's trading partners, including China, which buys over 80% of Iran's shipped oil.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the US announcement was an assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent member state of the United Nations. Iran's chief of staff, Major General Ali Abdollahi, stated that the country's armed forces will respond to new threats with "crushing, punishing and devastating responses".

The new sanctions have pushed up oil prices due to fears of tighter supply, with oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz virtually halted as Tehran threatens to strike unauthorized oil tankers. China has urged diplomacy, while Georgia has declined to join the European Union's latest sanctions against Iran, citing national interests.

Brief written by urgent.news from Arabian Business, Investing.com, Japan Times, New Straits Times, Middle East Eye — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.