Pezeshkian: "U.S. Must Correct Its Tone in Its Interaction with Iran"

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday called on the United States to correct its tone and approach in its interaction with Iran, stating that depending on force and intimidation would only complicate processes, as reported by the IRNA news agency. During a meeting with Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir, Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for Pakistan's constructive and mediating actions toward establishing regional peace and security, and assured that Iran is prepared for all forms of cooperation and interaction—economic, political, and security—with Islamic countries and neighboring nations.

Also on Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled a new economic pressure strategy against Iran and its partners, dubbed Operation 'Economic Pariah.' The initiative, which had been under discussion since the previous week, came accompanied by threats and the promise of being "the most crushing economic operation ever undertaken against any country." The senior official stated that the strategy targets five areas of Iran's cooperation with other countries: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and maritime transport.

In particular, he asserted that Washington would impose sanctions on anyone continuing to cooperate with Iran—a step that Tehran itself deems illegal. "Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be excluded from the U.S. dollar system. The clock has just started ticking," he warned. Tehran, however, insists on the illegitimacy of such measures, defending its sovereign right to trade with foreign partners. According to U.S. media outlets themselves, Bessent did not outline any specific or immediate measures during his announcement.