Trump threatens economic punishment on 'any country' helping Iran

Around 20 August 2026, Trump announced an 'economic D-Day' against Iran and threatened 'tremendous economic consequences' for any country helping Iran. He described it as the 'most crushing economic operation ever', and the Guardian noted that military strikes were making way for economic pressure. The US Treasury chief vowed the 'toughest sanctions in history' on Iran. Times of Israel reported that Trump said any country trading with Iran would be sanctioned.

Iran vowed a 'devastating' response to the threat to cut off its economic lifelines, Reuters reported. Japan Times reported that Iran risked losing a key economic lifeline as the UAE halted trade. CGTN raised questions about the impact and enforcement of the measures, and Bloomberg reported oil set for a weekly surge as the US sought to throttle Iran's economy.