Iran says US ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ violates international law

• Foreign Ministry calls new US sanctions campaign ‘economic terrorism’
• Tehran urges countries not to implement US sanctions, says participation amounts to complicity

Iran on Friday said the US “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign against Tehran violates international law, describing the latest sanctions drive as “economic terrorism.”

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry accused Washington of using the US dollar as a tool to pressure other countries into aligning with its policies toward Tehran, saying such actions violate national sovereignty and international law.

The ministry described the operation as “US state terrorism against Iran and the world.”

It said Operation Economic Outcast reflected an intention to inflict suffering on the Iranian people and deprive them of fundamental human rights, describing the campaign as an “international crime” and a “crime against humanity.”

The ministry said US economic sanctions against Iran, regardless of how they are designated, violate the UN Charter, international humanitarian law and human rights, arguing that countries should refrain from implementing them.

Tehran also said participation in unilateral US sanctions amounted to complicity in imposing Washington’s will on independent states and disrupting their legitimate economic and trade relations.

The Foreign Ministry vowed to use “all capacities” to defend Iran against what it called the US-Israeli “military-economic offensive and hybrid war.”

The US launched Operation Economic Outcast on Monday, targeting what Washington described as Iran’s key economic lifelines, including its oil, shipping, aviation, gold, technology and digital asset sectors.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the campaign was aimed at isolating Iran from the global financial system, while Washington also blacklisted more than 60 entities, individuals and vessels worldwide.