Trump vows to punish any country that throws Iran a lifeline

By Anuoluwa Amao

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Washington is rolling out a sweeping new campaign to cripple Iran’s economy, cautioning that any country choosing to trade with or assist Tehran would face severe financial fallout of its own.

The move signals a fresh escalation as the conflict edges toward the six-month mark, with neither a diplomatic settlement nor a military resolution appearing imminent. The timing also places Trump under renewed political pressure at home, as the war continues to draw scrutiny ahead of November’s elections.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump declared the launch of what he called the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY,” describing it as a form of economic warfare and isolation on a scale never before attempted.

He didn’t stop at Iran. “ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” he warned, though he stopped short of detailing what those consequences might look like, and refrained from naming any specific countries besides Iran itself.

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The announcement follows closely on the heels of comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent roughly a week ago, who signaled that the US intended to impose a level of economic isolation on Iran unlike anything the world has previously seen.

On the ground, tensions in the region remain unresolved. Although missile strikes have quieted in recent weeks, Iran has kept up an effective blockade of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, following the collapse of a preliminary US-Iran agreement that would have reopened the strategically vital waterway.

Both sides have indicated that some degree of communication is still ongoing, but Trump pushed back against any suggestion of active negotiations on Tuesday, insisting that formal talks were off the table. He went a step further in a separate social media post, floating the idea that the Strait of Hormuz itself could become “NEW U.S. Territory” a remark likely to add fresh uncertainty to an already volatile standoff