DONALD Trump has launched his crushing “Operation Economic Outcast” on Iran by threatening crippling sanctions on any country propping up the regime.

The US president last week vowed to unleash the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN” to strong-arm Tehran into accepting his peace terms.

Donald Trump has vowed to unleash an ‘economic D-Day’ on Iran Credit: Reuters

Severe sanctions and months of bombing have plunged the regime into an economic crisis Credit: AP

Washington has now upped the ante with a new plan to slap severe sanctions on any country maintaining economic ties with the regime.

Iran has meanwhile vowed it will retaliate against any country participating in the US-led isolation campaign.

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With the war dragging on to the six-month mark, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” as a “warning shot” to Iran‘s allies.

Bessent said that the US was giving them a chance to “remedy bad behaviour” but stopped short of naming specific countries or laying out a timeline.

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“Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” he said.

“Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”

Bessent declined to answer whether the move would target China, which bought 80 per cent of Iran’s ship oil last year.

But he said: “We want to make clear here today that no one is above the reach of US sanctions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US was looking to isolate Iran’s allies Credit: AP

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, where a brutal struggle for control has played out Credit: AP

“That if they facilitate transactions and are part of the ecosystem that turns Iranian oil into money, into repression, they will be targeted.”

Bessent said that the US had identified countries who continued to deal with Iran and would set individual deadlines to cut off ties or face sanctions.

He added: “Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the US dollar system. The clock just started ticking.”

Trump, he said, was making direct calls to world leaders to request that they “cease their interactions with the regime”.

Bessent did not elaborate on whether Trump had spoken with Xi Jinping after a successful summit in Beijing last month.

China’s embassy in Washington told reporters: “Regarding the ​Iran issue, sanctions and pressure do not help resolve the problem.

“China calls on the relevant parties to take responsible actions and resolve the issue through political and diplomatic means.”

Xi is set to meet Trump in Washington in late September, but fresh sanctions could sour prospects for extending a deal struck last November to keep Chinese rare earths flowing and cap US tariffs.

Iran brushed the sanctions off with the country’s finance minister saying it was “fully prepared” for them.

Ali Madanizadeh also accused the US of wanting to “wage economic terrorism”.

“We know how to play this game. This time, they should not think our response will be purely defensive and that we will only defend ourselves.”