A senior aide to US President Donald Trump has hailed worsening economic conditions in the Islamic Republic<\/p>\n
A top White House official has said Iran is on the brink of an \u201cextreme calamity\u201d and hunger as the US is counting on economic pressure to secure its objectives in the conflict.
\nPresident Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports and intensified sanctions after a bombing campaign failed to bring down the government in Tehran. Although large-scale military operations largely paused under a fragile ceasefire announced last month, both sides are now seeking to use economic strain to gain leverage.
\nKevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, pointed to what he described as severe economic deterioration in Iran during an interview with CBS News on Sunday, blaming the Iranian leadership for the situation.
\n\u201cThey\u2019re an economy that\u2019s really on the precipice of extreme calamity,\u201d Hassett claimed, citing internal briefings. \u201cThey are having hyperinflation. They\u2019re starting to face hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
US threatens sanctions over payments to Iran for Hormuz passage<\/p>\n
When asked whether the naval blockade \u2013 traditionally considered an act of war \u2013 meant the US was effectively at war with Iran despite the president\u2019s statements to Congress, Hassett said he was uncertain \u201cwhat the definition of war is when we\u2019re not shooting and we\u2019re negotiating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed the administration\u2019s stance, telling Fox News that US anti-Iranian measures were \u201csuffocating the regime.\u201d He emphasized a coordinated government effort, describing efforts by his department as \u201ceconomic fury\u201d in a reference to the Pentagon\u2019s designation for the war on Iran, Operation Epic Fury.
\n\u201cWe [have been] running a marathon over the past 12 months, and now we are sprinting toward the finish line,\u201d he added.
\nUS economic warfare
\nWashington has long relied on unilateral sanctions to target foreign governments, leveraging its influence over global financial systems and the central role of the US economy to enforce restrictions.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Two cargo vessels struck near Strait of Hormuz \u2013 monitor<\/p>\n
While US officials often present such measures as aimed at pressuring government officials, critics argue they amount to a form of economic warfare. A 2025 study published in The Lancet Global Health estimated that unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and EU between 2010 and 2021 contributed to approximately 564,000 excess deaths annually.
\nWashington facing mounting challenges
\nDespite assertions by Trump administration officials that the campaign against Iran has been a resounding military success, Tehran has not accepted US demands and continues to exert control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies.
\nThe US is also reported to have drawn down significant stocks of critical munitions, and it has strained relations with traditional allies who declined to back the military action. It is also dealing with the fallout from the broader economic disruption caused by the crisis, which could trigger the worst global economic crisis in decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A senior aide to US President Donald Trump has hailed worsening economic conditions in the Islamic Republic A top White House official has said Iran is on the brink of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t