Iran's Ghalibaf mocks U.S. Treasury Secretary over new sanctions

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has mocked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent following the announcement of a new sanctions campaign against Tehran, referred to as 'Operation Economic Isolation'. In a social media post, Ghalibaf ridiculed Bessent’s press conference, comparing the presentation to an improvised performance rather than a decisive military action, stating, “This is not Normandy, this is a night of improvisation, and you even forgot the script for your show!”

The U.S. administration, led by President Donald Trump, aims to sever Iran’s connections to the global financial system through what Bessent described as “the harshest sanctions in history.” The campaign targets over sixty entities and threatens secondary sanctions on countries, including China, that facilitate Iranian transactions. The strategy seeks to exert maximum economic pressure to force diplomatic concessions or regime change.

During a press briefing, Bessent addressed the potential impact on the global financial order, questioning why he would want to “destroy the global financial system” when asked about the implications of targeting major international banks. While the U.S. has warned that “no one is immune to U.S. sanctions,” officials have so far refrained from immediate secondary sanctions on Chinese banks, suggesting a cautious approach to avoid crossing certain geopolitical red lines.