Iran said Sunday it will step up efforts to address problems caused by U.S. sanctions that have battered its economy, while a senior Iranian official warned that any further attack would draw a “painful response.”
Six months after U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, the conflict appears to have reached a stalemate. A preliminary cease-fire agreement reached in June has unraveled, while diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations and restore a path toward peace have made little progress.
After a pause in military action through much of July, tit-for-tat attacks have resumed. U.S. Central Command said Saturday that it struck three Iranian tankers after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships.
Following the attacks, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday that the United States should understand that “the rules of the game” in the war against Iran have changed before it is too late.
Qalibaf’s warning came as Tehran faced mounting economic pressure from U.S. sanctions, which have severely restricted Iran’s access to international markets and deepened the challenges confronting its economy.
