Trump vows tougher economic measures on Iran and supporting countries - BBC News

It comes after a 60-day ceasefire expired on Monday, with no sign of a diplomatic or military off-ramp to the conflict.

Image source, Getty ImagesByGrace Eliza Goodwin and Peter HoskinsPublished20 August 2026, 01:25 BSTUpdated 5 hours agoDonald Trump has said he will launch tougher economic measures against Iran, as well as any country that helps or does business with it.

The US president wrote in all capital letters on Truth Social that he was launching "the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country", without providing further details or the names of any nation other than Iran.

It comes after a 60-day ceasefire formally expired on Monday without any sign of a diplomatic settlement to the war the US and Israel began at the end of February. Tehran said Trump's threat would only bring further animosity.

If realised, it would extend a campaign of economic pressure on Iran aimed at forcing it into submission.

The US launched a wave of sanctions on foreign banks and firms that do business with Iran in April when it became apparent that military action had not led to the overthrow of the regime in Tehran nor its surrender, as Trump had initially hoped.