August 21, 2026
Daniel Khalili-Tari & Christine Maguire
His post on X added that it was Washington and Israel that started the war during negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme. The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission argued that Iran was merely defending itself.
Overall impact of new US sanctions may not be what US hopes: Analyst
The US announcement about further sanctions on Iran comes after its naval blockade, which shows it “is not working”, an analyst tells Al Jazeera.
“The Americans are trying to announce that, in other words, this blockade is not working,” said Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow in Middle East and North Africa studies at the University of Tehran.
He does not think the new sanctions are likely to have the desired effect, given how long Iran has already been under US sanctions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled the pro-Western Shah.
“If the so-called maximum pressure [campaign] had worked, there would have been no need for this bloody war,” he said, referring to the sanctions imposed by Donald Trump during his first term after pulling out of the nuclear deal in 2018. “When they started this war, it was a kind of admission of the failure of these kinds of sanctions policies.”
Iran’s private and public sectors have maintained mechanisms to continue their trade relations with European countries and partners, he explained.
“Money talks, at the end of the day, the Iranian economy is working after three decades of maximum pressure and the so-called secondary sanctions,” he added.
Iranian Navy commander warns that Iran is ready to defend its straits and waterways
Shahram Irani, the commander of the Navy in the Iranian Army, has said that Tehran is prepared to defend its waterways.
“Today, the country’s strategic straits and waterways are of particular importance to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Navy, with its powerful presence in these areas, pursues the mission of defending national interests and the country’s security,” he was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.
“The armed forces are also standing with all their might against the enemy and will not allow the enemy to take a single step back,” he added.
Daniel Khalili-Tari & Christine Maguire
- China says it doesn’t support additional US sanctions on Iran as it calls for dialogue between Tehran and Washington. “Military force and pressure tactics will only lead to escalation that serves no one’s interests,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the threat of new US economic sanctions, describing the proposed measures as “illegal and inhumane”. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the new sanctions threaten the global economy.
- This comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Washington will impose the “toughest sanctions in history” to “collapse” the Iranian government, calling on other nations, including China, to join the effort.
- Several areas in southern Lebanon, including Bint Jbeil district in Nabatieh province and al-Mansouri town in Tyre, have been hit by Israeli strikes today despite a ceasefire.
- Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that the war must end at some point, and it is better to end it today while Tehran is in “a position of strength”. He added that Iran will not “bow to bullying”.
His post on X added that it was Washington and Israel that started the war during negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme. The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission argued that Iran was merely defending itself.
Overall impact of new US sanctions may not be what US hopes: Analyst
The US announcement about further sanctions on Iran comes after its naval blockade, which shows it “is not working”, an analyst tells Al Jazeera.
“The Americans are trying to announce that, in other words, this blockade is not working,” said Mohammad Eslami, a research fellow in Middle East and North Africa studies at the University of Tehran.
He does not think the new sanctions are likely to have the desired effect, given how long Iran has already been under US sanctions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled the pro-Western Shah.
“If the so-called maximum pressure [campaign] had worked, there would have been no need for this bloody war,” he said, referring to the sanctions imposed by Donald Trump during his first term after pulling out of the nuclear deal in 2018. “When they started this war, it was a kind of admission of the failure of these kinds of sanctions policies.”
Iran’s private and public sectors have maintained mechanisms to continue their trade relations with European countries and partners, he explained.
“Money talks, at the end of the day, the Iranian economy is working after three decades of maximum pressure and the so-called secondary sanctions,” he added.
Iranian Navy commander warns that Iran is ready to defend its straits and waterways
Shahram Irani, the commander of the Navy in the Iranian Army, has said that Tehran is prepared to defend its waterways.
“Today, the country’s strategic straits and waterways are of particular importance to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Navy, with its powerful presence in these areas, pursues the mission of defending national interests and the country’s security,” he was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.
“The armed forces are also standing with all their might against the enemy and will not allow the enemy to take a single step back,” he added.
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