U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the United States will impose sanctions on any country or entity doing business with Iran.

This escalation marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, potentially expanding a regional conflict into a global economic confrontation. By targeting third-party trade partners, the U.S. aims to isolate the Iranian regime completely to deter its current actions.

The announcement comes six months [1] into the U.S. war against Iran. The administration is now leveraging the U.S. financial system to punish international partners that maintain economic ties with Tehran.

"Every country, every entity should know that they should be prepared to face US sanctions," Bessent said.

Analysts suggest the scope of these measures will extend far beyond Iran. Michael Every, a global strategist at Rabobank, said that Russia and China are likely targets of this "economic war" due to their existing trade relationships with the Iranian government.

Other regions, including Pakistan and North Korea, are also anticipated to feel the impact of these policy announcements from Washington [1]. The strategy seeks to create a financial perimeter around Iran, forcing allies and trade partners to choose between the Iranian market and access to the U.S. economy.

Concurrent legislative efforts in the U.S. Senate further signal an aggressive trade stance. Some sanctions bills have proposed tariffs of up to 100 percent [2, 3] on countries such as India and China. While different reports identify the primary targets, with some focusing on Russia and China [1] and others highlighting India and China [2], the underlying mechanism remains the use of high tariffs to enforce diplomatic isolation.

These measures represent a broader effort to pressure the Iranian regime by removing its remaining economic lifelines. The U.S. government has not yet specified the exact timeline for the rollout of these sanctions or the specific criteria for entity listing.

“"Every country, every entity should be prepared to face US sanctions."”

The shift toward secondary sanctions indicates that the U.S. is moving from a policy of direct containment of Iran to a policy of global economic coercion. By threatening major economies like China and India with tariffs and sanctions, the U.S. is risking trade volatility and strained diplomatic relations with non-combatant nations to achieve a total economic blockade of Iran.