Iran Challenges US Claim of Military Defeat, Questions New Sanctions Offensive

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has challenged US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s claim that Washington has dismantled Iran’s military capabilities and buried its nuclear program, questioning why the United States would need to launch what Bessent called its “greatest financial offensive” against a supposedly defeated Iran.

In a post on X, Gharibabadi directly addressed Bessent after the US Treasury secretary claimed that President Donald Trump had dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed nearly all of its military factories and buried its nuclear program. Bessent also announced new sanctions against Iran, describing them as the “single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary” and saying all US institutions and authorities would be mobilized to implement them.

Gharibabadi said the US narrative was contradictory, arguing that Washington’s decision to impose unprecedented financial pressure on Iran did not correspond with its claim that the country had already been defeated. He questioned whether such measures represented a US victory, asking: “Is this victory, or an admission of America’s defeat?”