Qalibaf made the remarks in a message posted on his X account, referring to recent threats by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to target Iran’s sources of revenue and pressure countries and companies doing business with Tehran.
“The Americans know that no one believes their bluster. The United States is not in an economic position to further restrict its relations with other countries beyond this point,” he wrote.
“Iran’s trading partners have told us, both through the media and by sending messages to us, that they do not take these (US) statements into account at all,” Qalibaf added.
The remarks came after Bessent announced a new US economic pressure campaign against Iran, saying Washington would seek to target Tehran’s sources of revenue, including oil, and prevent countries and companies from conducting business with Iran.
Bessent described the campaign as “Operation Economic Outcast” and said the US aimed to sever what he called Iran’s economic lifelines. He also warned that countries and entities facilitating transactions involving Iranian oil could face secondary sanctions, insisting that “no one is above the reach of US sanctions.”
Despite the sweeping rhetoric, the latest US measures did not target any major international economic institution for dealing with Iran. Bessent also acknowledged the broader risks of secondary sanctions, saying Washington did not want to “blow up the global financial system” while giving countries an opportunity to change what the US considers objectionable behavior.
Qalibaf’s remarks underscore Tehran’s position that Washington’s campaign of threats and secondary sanctions faces practical limits as Iran continues to maintain economic relations with international trading partners.