Trump Warns Iran of ‘Easy Way or Hard Way’; Tehran Moves to Counter US Sanctions

US President Donald Trump said Washington would decide its next course of action on Iran “the easy way or the hard way”, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran had adopted new arrangements to counter tightening American sanctions.

The remarks on Saturday offered competing accounts of the pressure on Iran. Trump described the country as “decimated”; Pezeshkian acknowledged worsening economic conditions but maintained that US efforts to force Tehran’s hand had failed.

“We have a decision that I’ll make about Iran. Iran’s been decimated. So the only question is, it’ll either be the easy way or the hard way,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.

He did not explain what the options involved or provide a timeline for a decision.

TRUMP KEEPS NEXT STEPS UNDER WRAPS

The warning followed similarly opaque comments on Friday, when Trump declined to disclose his strategy.

“If I told you, you’d have a major story, right? But you’ll see. Working out very well. Iran is not doing well,” he said.

Earlier, speaking to reporters in Texas, Trump predicted that the war with Iran would end “very quickly” and that oil prices would fall sharply once hostilities ceased.

“Iran will very soon be ending one way or the other,” he said.

Trump claimed Iran had inflation of 301 per cent, lacked money and a functioning currency, and had suffered extensive military losses. Those assertions were not independently substantiated in the supplied reports.

“And, one way or the other, it’s going to end very quickly. And when that ends, oil prices are going to drop like a rock,” he added.

TEHRAN ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC RESPONSE

Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said his government had changed its arrangements for managing the mounting economic strain. His statement did not specify the measures involved.

“The government has adopted a new arrangement to manage these special conditions,” he wrote on X.

He accused Iran’s adversaries of trying to cut the country’s “vital arteries” to put pressure on its people. While acknowledging that economic pressure had intensified, he credited public support and government action with preventing the campaign from achieving its objectives.

The statement signalled Tehran’s determination to withstand sanctions even as Washington expanded its efforts to restrict the country’s financial and commercial networks.

WASHINGTON TARGETS IRAN’S ECONOMIC LIFELINES

The US Treasury launched “Operation Economic Outcast” in August, describing it as a government-wide economic campaign against Iran and those enabling its activities.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said officials had been dispatched around the world to urge other governments to take action against Tehran.

According to the department, the campaign aims to sever financial resources sustaining Iran’s government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Washington says it has identified networks and intermediaries involved in Iranian oil smuggling, sanctions evasion and the financing of terrorism.

The pressure has also reached Iran’s aviation industry. Last month, the Treasury imposed sanctions on additional Iranian airlines and companies outside the country accused of supporting the sector. Washington has warned foreign businesses and service providers that continued support for Iranian carriers could expose them to secondary sanctions.

Years of US restrictions have already constrained Iranian airlines’ access to new aircraft, spare parts and maintenance services. The latest measures add to a broader sanctions campaign covering energy, shipping, technology, gold and digital assets.

For now, both presidents have left crucial details unstated: Trump has not identified Washington’s next move, while Pezeshkian has not explained how Tehran’s new arrangements will shield its economy.

With inputs from ANI