US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran is “completely collapsing” amid ongoing hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
“IRAN IS COMPLETELY COLLAPSING!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform without elaborating further, mirroring his earlier statements regarding Tehran’s economic and military condition.
On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US was entering an “economic D-Day” against Iran following what he described as the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear capabilities.
“President (Donald) Trump has dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 per cent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear programme,” Bessent said in a post on the US social media platform X.
Trump said on Friday he still believes Iran was not ready to make “the right deal” with Washington as tightening economic measures have been deployed against Tehran.
“They would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump told reporters. “They have no money, they have no navy, they have no air force, they are not paying their soldiers, they’re not paying their police. They have 350% inflation,” he added.
Trump also suggested that the US maintains “complete control” of the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, including the crucial waterway and its surrounding land area in southern Iran.
Iran will use all ‘bilateral capabilities’ to confront US economic sanctions: Baghaei
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a press conference on Monday that Iran will use all its bilateral capabilities to confront US economic sanctions.
He said that Iran has issued warnings regarding cooperation with the US on its economic pressure on Tehran.
Speaking about the visit of the Omani foreign minister, he said it was not linked to the visit of the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Tehran, which is reported to take place on Monday.
Munir departed for Tehran earlier today to promote regional peace.
Baghaei said on Monday that repeated US sanctions against Iran will yield no results, arguing that such measures have “failed” to achieve their objectives.
“Washington’s persistence in failed methods has no result other than proving America’s hatred for the Iranian people, because they know very well that the direct consequences of these sanctions are on ordinary citizens,” Baghaei told reporters at a weekly news conference, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He said sanctions and “intimidation” of other countries aimed at limiting trade ties violate the principles of free trade and respect for national sovereignty.
“This illegal practice is a wake-up call for the international community, as America’s excesses and violations of the law in international relations have even provoked protests from its close allies.”
Regarding reports that Tehran had been invited to join the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, Baghaei said Iran had not been asked to join but that “proposals have been made for talks with these countries on regional security.”
Iranian riyal hits historic low against USD
Iran’s currency hit a historic low against the US dollar as a tightening US economic blockade battered the country’s economy following nearly six months of conflict.
The riyal traded at around 2 million per dollar on the unregulated market on Monday, according to tracking site TGJU, down 4.5% since US President Donald Trump announced a major campaign against Tehran last week.
Pressure mounted on the currency as Washington sought to isolate Tehran by threatening its remaining trade partners, blockading key Persian Gulf ports, and choking off vital crude oil revenue.
Iranian Deputy FM dismisses US ‘economic D-day’ threat in response to Bessent
Responding to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s earlier statement, Iran dismissed Washington’s declaration of a massive economic pressure campaign, saying it disproves US claims to have dismantled Tehran’s military and nuclear capabilities.
“Your narrative doesn’t add up: you say that Iran’s military power has been ‘dismantled’, 100% of its military factories ‘destroyed’ and its nuclear program ‘buried’,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X.
Yet, he adds, “there is a need for ‘the largest financial invasion in history’ and the mobilisation of ‘all institutions and powers’ of the United States! Is this a victory or an admission of America’s defeat?”
UKMTO says tanker struck by unknown projectile off Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu
A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 63 nautical miles west of Saudi Arabia’s port city of Yanbu, leading to a fire on the vessel’s main deck, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Monday.
The UKMTO said all crew were safe and accounted for with no reported environmental impact.
Yemen’s government-aligned forces say they repelled Houthi drones west of Aden
Yemen’s internationally recognised government-aligned forces said early on Monday that they intercepted “hostile Houthi drones” west of the southern city of Aden, the country’s interim capital.
The Southern Armed Forces, led by Presidential Leadership Council member Abdul Rahman al-Muharrami, said on X that the drones were intercepted before reaching their targets, without providing further details.
The forces did not specify the source of the drones or the outcome of the interception operation.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the statement.
Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital Sanaa and large parts of the country in 2014.
Since late 2023, after the Gaza genocide began, the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while recent renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.
US Treasury secretary says Washington entering ‘economic D-Day’ against Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the United States was entering an “economic D-Day” against Iran following what he described as the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear capabilities.
“President (Donald) Trump has dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program,” Bessent said in a post on the US social media platform X.
“We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary.”
Bessent said the administration intended to utilise every available resource to further isolate Iran economically and cut off sources of support for the Iranian government.
“The President has created the conditions to leverage every agency, every authority and action many assumed we would never summon. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone,” he said.
He also warned governments and other actors against assuming that Washington would be unwilling to impose costs on those challenging its Iran policy.
“The Islamic Republic has subsisted by dressing extortion as security guarantees. It has drawn strength from a calculus that regards Iranian retaliation as certain and American enforcement as negotiable. Under President Trump, that era is over. And those who fear the danger of defying Tehran ought not to discount the cost of testing Washington,” he said.
Bessent did not provide details in the post on the specific economic measures or agencies that would be involved in the planned offensive.