Iran says new sanctions threatened by 'desperate' US will fail

DUBAI: Iran's foreign minister dismissed the threat of new US sanctions as a sign of desperation on Sunday (Aug 23) and said the expected new measures would fail to defeat Tehran.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is due to hold a press conference at 2pm EDT on Monday, has threatened to impose "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran.Iran's economy is already under huge pressure from international sanctions, its infrastructure has been hit repeatedly and thousands of people have been killed in airstrikes on the Islamic Republic since the US and Israel launched attacks on Feb 28.But Tehran remains defiant after nearly six months of war and has brought shipping to a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, refusing to allow unauthorised oil tankers to transit a waterway that is v