US launches ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ against Iran
Summary
• The United States sanctioned nearly 60 Iran-linked people, entities and vessels and expanded the threat of secondary sanctions as part of an “economic onslaught” against Tehran’s global financial connections called “Operation Economic Outcast,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.
• Iran’s rial fell to a record low of over two million against the US dollar in the open market on Monday.
• A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 63 nautical miles west of Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu on Monday, causing a fire on its main deck, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said.
• Iran had the right to target any location used to launch attacks against it, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday, warning countries against providing territory or facilities to the United States.
• The IRGC said on Monday that it used surveillance methods that its adversaries could not identify to conduct precise strikes against military positions and vessels.
• Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi will visit Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on bilateral and regional issues, Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
27 minutes ago
Netanyahu praises Trump, Bessent over new Iran sanctions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday over Washington’s latest sanctions against Iran.
“Congratulations President Donald Trump and Secretary Scott Bessent on the latest sanctions against the Iranian regime,” the official account of the Israeli prime minister’s office wrote on X.
“You justly exact a steep price from that cruel dictatorship and from those who assist its continued aggression,” the post added.
1 hour ago
US will pursue end to Iran nuclear threat 'one way or another' - Newsmax
US President Donald Trump is determined to bring what his administration sees as the Iranian nuclear weapons threat to an end “one way or another,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Newsmax on Monday.
“The president has been clear that he is going to see the Iranian nuclear weapons threat come to an end. He will see that objective be completed one way or another,”Pigott said.
Pigott said the administration would also seek to cut off every financial lifeline Iran uses to fund what he called “malign activities,” describing the effort as the next level of Trump’s maximum-pressure campaign.
The United States launched “Operation Economic Outcast” on Monday, sanctioning nearly 60 Iran-linked people, entities and vessels and expanding the threat of secondary sanctions against Tehran’s global financial connections.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday thatWashington had mapped Iran’s financial networks and would intensify the campaign, which he said was aimed at severing the country’s economic lifelines.
1 hour ago
Saudi Arabia, France urge Iran to resume full IAEA cooperation
Saudi Arabia and France called for a negotiated solution over Iran and urged Tehran to resume full cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, according to a joint statement issued Monday after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Paris.
The two countries said diplomacy should ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and help prevent further escalation in the region.
They also condemned attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and called for navigation to return to conditions before February 28, including freedom of passage, regular shipping traffic and no direct or indirect fees or transit restrictions.
Saudi Arabia and France issued the statement at the end of Mohammed bin Salman’s August 23-24 state visit to France, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202608222141