Washington and Tehran: decision crisis increases pressure on Iran
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said messages continue to be exchanged with the United States through intermediaries, that Tehran is studying American positions and will respond after completing that review, and called for settling the conflict in Yemen through dialogue and implementation of the roadmap. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is moving to a more advanced stage of economic measures to isolate Iran from markets and limit its access to financial resources, citing cut aviation services, continued seizure of cryptocurrencies and a tightened naval blockade. Nabil al-Atoum, director of the Iranian research programme, said the impasse relates not to the demands alone but to the order of their implementation and to who inside Iran holds decision-making authority and can give binding guarantees.
Why it matters: The item bears on the briefing's sanctions and economic-pressure theme, since the measures described are presented as a tightening economic squeeze accompanied by graduated military pressure aimed at keeping the military option open.