Iran’s parliament speaker urges plan to counter ‘unjust sanctions’

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, said on Friday that Tehran must devise strategies to overcome what he called “unjust sanctions,” a day after Washington announced its toughest-ever economic measures against Iran.

Speaking at a gathering of Iranian and Iraqi business representatives in Baghdad, Qalibaf argued that economic development and national security are closely intertwined. He accused the United States and Israel of resorting to economic and “cognitive” warfare after failing to achieve their goals through direct military confrontation.

“If you look at the resources and raw materials of Muslim countries, you will realize that our enemies come to plunder them,” Qalibaf said, according to his Telegram channel. “Therefore, we must make plans to deal with the unjust sanctions so that we can overcome them.”

Qalibaf, who also serves as Tehran’s top negotiator in talks with Washington, called for stronger economic ties between Iran and Iraq. He suggested the two neighbours could use their national currencies in bilateral trade to reduce dependence on the US dollar.

The remarks come after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday that new sanctions on Iran would be detailed on Monday, describing them as the toughest ever imposed. Bessent hinted the measures might reduce the need for further major military operations.