Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared on Monday that the country would not bow to escalating pressure from the Trump administration, following threats by a top security official against nations joining the U.S.-led economic campaign. The defiant stance came ahead of anticipated sanctions announcements by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi dismissed U.S. tactics as repeating past failures, asserting Iran would use all multilateral means to counter sanctions, with civilians bearing the cost.

President Donald Trump had pledged a swift victory in the conflict begun alongside Iran in late February, but the war has dragged on without resolution. A June cease-fire collapsed after Iran resumed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil and gas. Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, warned of unprecedented economic warfare and isolation, threatening penalties for countries doing business with Iran.

Iran’s largest trading partners include China, India, and South Korea. Analysts believe Iran is more likely to respond militarily than to curb its nuclear program or reopen negotiations. Western sanctions have fueled inflation and unemployment, contributing to mass protests earlier in the year, which were met with a brutal crackdown killing thousands, per exile rights groups.

A senior Iranian official, Ali Shamkhani, threatened that Iran could retaliate against U.S. allies in the Gulf, declaring that no oil would be exported from the region if pressure continued. He stated that any country supporting the U.S. economic war would be seen as committing an act of war. Gulf Arab states have already faced Iranian drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases and experienced blockades of oil and gas exports via the Strait of Hormuz.