TEHRAN – Iran’s Governor of the Central Bank Abdolnaser Hemmati says that the U.S. Treasury has reached the end of the line regarding economic pressure on Iran.
Hemmati commented on the UK government’s move to tighten financial restrictions on five Iranian banks—aligning with U.S. economic policy.
Hemmati added, the UK has tightened restrictions on Iranian banks at a time when some of these banks have not conducted any Iran-related banking activities for years due to U.S. sanctions.
He remarked: “It appears the U.S. Treasury has reached the end of the line in its economic pressure on Iran; meanwhile, various countries—seeking to demonstrate alignment with and compliance to the U.S.—have reimposed restrictions on banks that, in many cases, had already ceased all Iran-related operations years ago in compliance with U.S. sanctions, all merely to curry favor with the U.S.”

U.S. Sanctions on Iran 
Losing Their Impact

The world is largely ignoring U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s sanctions campaign against Iran and that there is little room left for further sanctions on Tehran, Bloomberg said.
U.S. news agency Bloomberg has reported that targeting China could be considered a way to increase pressure on Iran, but such a move would be “dangerous” because Beijing could retaliate. Iran is already under heavy sanctions, leaving little room for further measures.
The UK Treasury announced on Wednesday that it would not issue new licenses to five Iranian banks that had already been sanctioned in Britain. The banks’ existing licenses are due to expire next month.
The banks had previously been under UK sanctions but were granted limited licenses to continue certain activities. The UK Treasury has now said it will not issue new licenses except in exceptional circumstances or where there are compelling reasons.
Thirteen years ago, the UK Supreme Court overturned the British Treasury’s sanctions against Mellat Bank, while the General Court of the European Union also removed the bank’s name from its sanctions list.
Meanwhile, Bessent said several days ago that Iranian airlines around the world would be shut down from the beginning of the Iranian month of Mehr. However, FlightRadar data on Wednesday showed that around six flights had operated from Iran to international destinations.
It is also reported that on the same day Washington threatened to stop Iranian airlines, a Mahan Air aircraft landed in Guangzhou, China, after departing from Tehran.
Bloomberg said the pressure campaign by the U.S. Treasury secretary against Iran has so far had limited impact, as it has not changed Tehran’s strategic calculations, adding that the world has largely ignored Bessent’s warnings about sanctions on Iran.