Iran Warns Trump’s New Sanctions Threaten Global Sovereignty as Hormuz Shipping Crisis Deepens
Iran has sharply condemned the United States’ latest threat of economic sanctions, accusing Washington of extending its authority beyond its own borders and undermining the sovereignty of other states. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the measures go beyond economic pressure on Tehran and amount to an attempt to force independent countries, banks, companies and airports to cut legitimate commercial ties with Iran.
In a post on X on Saturday, Baghaei described the planned US sanctions as an assertion of “extraterritorial sovereignty” over United Nations member states. He argued that no country should be able to compel foreign financial institutions, businesses or airports operating under another nation’s jurisdiction to stop trading with a third country.
Baghaei warned that such a policy could have consequences far beyond the US-Iran confrontation. In his assessment, continued use of secondary sanctions risks weakening the principle of sovereign equality that underpins the international system. He described the potential outcome as a return to what he called “full-scale classic colonialism.”
The Iranian reaction follows President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of what he called the “most crushing economic operation” ever imposed against a country. Trump said the United States would pursue economic warfare and isolation against Iran and warned that countries whose financial institutions, businesses, airports or government entities provide Tehran with an economic lifeline could face severe economic consequences.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced the administration’s position, saying the new economic campaign was intended to put overwhelming pressure on Iran. The US approach represents a significant escalation because it is not aimed only at Iranian entities; it also puts pressure on foreign businesses and governments that continue dealing with Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the threat, arguing that previous US sanctions campaigns had failed to achieve their intended political objectives. He pointed to earlier sanctions efforts and described the latest strategy as another version of a pressure campaign Tehran has already experienced. “We have seen this movie before,” Araghchi said, arguing that the newest measures are also bound to fail.
The escalating rhetoric comes as diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran have stalled. At the same time, the maritime consequences of the wider confrontation continue to deepen, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important energy and shipping chokepoints.
The US Navy has maintained its blockade against Iranian ports, while commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen dramatically. Thousands of seafarers remain stranded aboard hundreds of vessels, while the disruption has sharply reduced the movement of oil and other commodities through the waterway. Recent reporting indicates that maritime activity remains far below normal levels as shipping operators face a highly uncertain security environment.
According to ship-tracking data cited in the original report, only four commodity ships sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, with none of them being large crude-oil carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers. The exceptionally low level of traffic highlights how geopolitical conflict can rapidly transform a major commercial waterway into a high-risk operating environment.
There has, however, been a limited opening for Iraqi oil exports. Iran has granted permission for several Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait following repeated requests from Baghdad. Iranian state media reported that securing special passage for Iraqi tankers was one of the key issues discussed during Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s visit to Iraq.
Iran-US Tensions Put Global Shipping and Strait of Hormuz at Risk
From a maritime policy perspective, the most important development is that the sanctions dispute is no longer confined to the traditional financial arena. It is increasingly affecting shipping access, vessel movements, cargo flows and the commercial decisions of third-country operators. Secondary sanctions can have a powerful indirect effect because shipowners, banks, insurers, charterers, port operators and trading companies may withdraw from Iranian-related business even when they are not directly sanctioned.
The Strait of Hormuz adds another layer of strategic pressure. When traffic through a major maritime chokepoint is heavily restricted, the consequences extend well beyond Iran and the United States. Energy supply chains, tanker scheduling, freight rates, marine insurance, port activity and global commodity markets can all be affected. The decision to permit selected Iraqi tankers to pass therefore appears strategically significant: it demonstrates that controlled access remains possible even amid severe restrictions, while also giving Iraq a limited channel for maintaining its oil export flows.
The central question now is whether Washington’s expanded economic campaign will force Tehran toward a negotiated settlement or instead deepen the confrontation. Iran’s response indicates that the government views the sanctions not simply as an economic measure but as a challenge to its sovereignty and to the broader principle of independent international trade.
For the maritime sector, the immediate concern is more practical: how long the restrictions around Hormuz will continue, how many vessels can safely transit, and whether the reopening of commercial traffic can occur without a wider political agreement. Until those uncertainties are resolved, shipping companies are likely to remain highly cautious, particularly in relation to tankers and LNG carriers.
Trump said on Friday that his administration was “seeing what happens” and maintained that Tehran was not yet prepared to make what he considered the right deal. With sanctions, military pressure and maritime restrictions now operating simultaneously, the standoff has entered a phase in which economic policy and maritime security are increasingly inseparable.
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