Reuters: The United States and Iran are continuing their hostile rhetoric while Washington prepares to announce new economic sanctions on Monday. These measures are expected to target Iran and, most likely, its major commercial partners, including China, which buys more than 80% of Iran’s exported oil.

Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, promised what he described as “the strictest sanctions in history,” while Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected the measures as “a claim of extraterritorial sovereignty.” President Donald Trump said Iran is inclined toward a deal, but is not prepared to do what he calls “the right deal.”

Meanwhile, oil attacks through the Strait of Hormuz have nearly stopped, with only four cargo vessels passing through it on Thursday and none of them were large ships carrying crude oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers. Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy Secretary, claimed that the U.S. military has helped with the transfer of an average of 8 million barrels of oil per day through the strait, compared to more than 20 million barrels per day before the war.