Iran defies Trump's upcoming sanctions while Pakistan tries to mediate to prevent further escalation

Iran rejected on Sunday the threat of new sanctions from the United States and asserted that Washington's economic pressure will fail, while Pakistan is stepping up its diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.

Recently, Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, previewed the announcement of the "toughest sanctions in history." The official is expected to hold a press conference on Monday, Aug. 24. Bessent has also encouraged China to join the United States in applying economic pressure on the Iranian regime.

Washington's new economic offensive comes after months of confrontation with Tehran. The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, though there have been no new direct exchanges of fire between the parties at this time. The latest U.S. escalation in Iran took place in late July.

In a video posted on Telegram, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, took a defiant stance toward U.S. authorities: "The fact that they [U.S. leaders] have ⁠moved on from military operations to bring up the same old plans shows that they are desperate."

"We have never been afraid. All of their actions, whether blockades or other military moves they have made, have failed, and this new issue of theirs will fail as well," he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Chief of Defense Forces Asim Munir will travel to Tehran on Monday to continue Islamabad's efforts to promote peace in the region. According to Pakistani sources cited by Reuters, topics to be discussed during the visit will include the new U.S. sanctions and diplomatic initiatives to reduce tensions.