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Bessent Announces New Iran Sanctions Package Amid Strait Ship Activity

8/22/2026

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Summary

Bessent Announces Sanctions

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new sanctions package against Iran on August 20.
Major-General Ali Abdollahi warned Iran would respond “devastatingly” to any new U.S. threats.
Kpler data showed seven ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on August 20, half the day before.
China buys over 80 % of Iran’s oil, but U.S. pressure has cut Iranian crude offers.

Summary

Ghalibaf Boosts Ties

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf met Iraqi business leaders in Baghdad to discuss sanctions resilience.
He stood with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces at Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis’s grave, signaling regional solidarity.
Ghalibaf urged Tehran and Baghdad to deepen economic ties and explore bilateral currency trade.
He warned the United States and Israel wage ‘cognitive’ warfare to plunder Muslim nations’ raw materials.

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Bessent Announces Sanctions

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new sanctions package against Iran on August 20.
Major-General Ali Abdollahi warned Iran would respond “devastatingly” to any new U.S. threats.
Kpler data showed seven ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on August 20, half the day before.
China buys over 80 % of Iran’s oil, but U.S. pressure has cut Iranian crude offers.

1 / 2