Iran mocks US 'addiction' to sanctions amid escalating tensions

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Tuesday mocked the Trump administration's reliance on economic sanctions, calling it a "compulsive addiction" after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed sanctions were "suffocating" Iran. Baqaei said Washington retreats into sanctions when diplomacy fails and increases pressure when they don't work, warning that this habit could strangle America's own chances of a less humiliating exit from the crisis. The exchange comes amid escalating confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions.