In a post on X, Baqaei dismissed the claim and accused Washington of turning to economic pressure whenever it failed to achieve its objectives through diplomacy. “The US Secretary of the Treasury has boasted of “suffocating” Iran through economic sanctions. Beyond its sheer pathos, the claim is a stark testament to America’s compulsive addiction to sanctions,” Baqaei wrote. “Whenever Washington proves itself incapable of pursuing diplomacy, it retreats into sanctions; and whenever those sanctions fail to produce results, it simply increases the dose. We will continue to increase the economic pressure.