America Contacted More Than 50 Countries to Strangle Tehran Economically

The United States has intensified its economic pressure on Iran rapidly in recent times through a wide-ranging diplomatic and financial campaign aimed at pushing Tehran's trading partners to choose between dealing with it and facing sanctions or maintaining their relationships with Washington, according to informed American sources on Saturday.

A senior official at the U.S. Treasury, Jonathan Berk, led a tour that included countries in the Middle East and Europe this month to clarify that dealing with Iran could expose those engaging with it to American consequences, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Berk noted that U.S. partners have become more serious about dealing with the sanctions and pressures imposed on Tehran.

In recent days, Iran has witnessed a series of measures targeting its main economic arteries, including:

- Denying Iranian airlines access to some important regional routes. - Preventing the largest Iranian commercial bank from conducting transactions in the UAE and Turkey. - Continuing U.S. sanctions and the maritime blockade imposed on Tehran.

Legal and banking experts believe that the current level of pressure on the Iranian aviation and banking sectors is the strongest in years, and its impact has been realized at a faster pace than previous sanctions campaigns.

Oman had banned flights of "Mahan Air," and later expanded the decision to include all Iranian airlines following the implementation of new American restrictions on the Iranian aviation sector.

The UAE also prevented branches of "Bank Melli Iran," the largest Iranian commercial banking institution, from conducting transactions related to Iran.

Additionally, the UAE decided to ban all flights of Iranian airlines, which is expected to increase trade and travel difficulties for Tehran.

Turkey also canceled flights of "Mahan Air" and revoked the license of "Bank Mellat," one of the largest private Iranian banks, which was used to facilitate trade transactions between the two countries.

Countries like Azerbaijan and Georgia have also taken similar steps by closing their airspace to Iranian airlines.

For its part, Britain announced that it would not extend the exemptions granted to some Iranian banks operating in the capital, which could effectively lead to the closure of the "Melli Bank" branch in London when its license expires next month.

In contrast, in an attempt to ease economic pressures, Iran offered to halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz or American interests for 7 days, in a move that some reports say aims to gain economic relief and the possibility of easing some sanctions.

However, the administration of President Donald Trump remains committed to a maximum pressure policy, believing that the time has come to force Iran to change its behavior.

Former American officials have noted that sanctions are only effective if the targeted parties are convinced of their seriousness and continuity.

They also considered that the success of the current economic strangulation campaign depends on maintaining a high level of pressure and preventing Iran from finding new alternatives to communicate with the global financial system.