live Pakistan Army Chief Visiting Tehran Amid Mediation Efforts

China has urged Iran and the United States to exercise restraint and said it would take measures to protect its interests if Washington imposes secondary sanctions on countries doing business with Tehran.

“Sanctions and pressure will not help resolve problems. They will only heighten tensions and escalate the situation, which serves no party's interests,” the China Daily quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian as saying.

Lin's comments came hours before the United States was set to unveil a sweeping new economic campaign against Iran, including fresh sanctions that President Donald Trump has said will be “unprecedented.”

Lin urged the parties to return to dialogue as soon as possible and seek a political settlement.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to announce details of the new economic measures later on August 24.

Iran has criticized new US economic measures against Tehran on August 24, accusing Washington of waging “economic terrorism” and disputing US claims about the success of its military campaign.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said an “economic D-Day” against Iran had begun and warned that countries continuing to support Tehran risked becoming a “global pariah.” He said the campaign was intended to sever the economic lifelines sustaining the Iranian government and further isolate Tehran internationally.

Bessent also said that US President Donald Trump had “dismantled Iran's military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi challenged those assertions, questioning why sweeping economic measures were necessary if Washington had achieved its military objectives.
“Your narrative doesn't add up,” he wrote on X on August 24.

Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the new US measures as “economic terrorism.”

“The America that was supposed to come to the aid of Iranians is using every tool at its disposal to punish Iranians,” he told reporters at a news conference on August 24.

Baqaei also suggested Tehran was now combining caution with greater risk-taking in its dealings with Washington.

“We have long been chess players, and in recent years we have become poker players as well,” he said. “For some time now, we have been playing a combination of the two.”

Bessent is expected to provide further details of the US economic measures later on August 24.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran’s already battered economy is showing renewed signs of stress as Washington prepares to unveil what US officials have described as some of the toughest sanctions yet against Tehran.

The Iranian currency fell to a new low on August 24, with the dollar reaching 2,016,400 rials on the open market.

The milestone came as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Washington was preparing an “economic D-Day” for Iran, with tougher sanctions and possible secondary measures against countries and companies that continue doing business with Tehran.

Read the full report by RE/RL's Radio Farda and Kian Sharifi here .

Multiple media outlets are now reporting that Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has departed Islamabad on a flight to Tehran.

This is Munir’s third official visit to the Iranian capital since the start of the U.S.-Iran conflict. He first visited Tehran on April 15 to advance mediation efforts, followed by a second visit on May 22.

The Pakistani military chief is accompanied by his country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who has been shuttling between Tehran and Islamabad since the beginning of the US-Iran conflict in late February.

Naqvi is believed to be Munir’s most trusted man in Pakistan’s civilian setup and has also developed rapport with senior officials of the Iranian regime.

Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, quoting a diplomatic source in Islamabad, reported that Munir will be meeting senior Iranian officials in Islamabad. There is still no official word from Pakistani authorities on Munir’s Tehran visit or his talks with the Iranian officials.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan is one of the key mediators in the Middle East conflict. In April, Islamabad hosted the first-ever direct talks between US and Iran since 1979.

US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly praised the Pakistani leadership and once described Munir as his “favorite Field Marshal,” has said he extended the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request.

Munir's trip comes hours before US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to announce details of sweeping new economic measures against Iran, dubbed Economic D-Day.

Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, will visit Tehran on August 24, as Islamabad continues its efforts to mediate an end to the war in the Middle East, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Munir would lead an official delegation to the Iranian capital to bolster bilateral cooperation and support regional peace and security.

Pakistan has played a key role in efforts to end the conflict between Iran and the United States, brokering a memorandum of understanding in June, although negotiations now appear stalled.

Separately, Baqaei announced that Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi will visit Tehran on August 25 to continue discussions with Iranian officials on the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian acknowledged the country was facing societal difficulties in the face of its conflict with the US and as Washington appears set to unveil plans to intensify sanctions on Tehran.

"I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are trying to prevent these as much as we can," Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state television on August 24.

Pezeshkian said the government is committed to reducing inflation, which has become rampant since the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February and the subsequent US blockade of Iranian ports.

Pezeshkian also spoke of "major imbalances in water, electricity, gas, fuel, the environment, and the banking sector."

The Iranian president said Iran is facing a combination of war, sanctions, political pressure, and assassinations since he took office in July 2024.

Pezeshkian insisted Iran can withstand the pressure, claiming the people have "demonstrated resilience and solidarity."

Although serving as the country's president, questions remain as to his real power amid widespread confusion as to who is determining Iranian government and military policy.

The comments come ahead of planned remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is due to brief reporters at 1 p.m. Eastern time on August 24 on what he has called "the toughest sanctions in history" against Iran.

"At dawn begins an economic D-Day -- the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary," Bessent wrote in an opinion piece in The Financial Times on August 23.

"The world should understand that our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone," he wrote.

US President Donald Trump last week threatened to increase pressure on Tehran, calling it an "economic D-Day" for the country.

With reporting by dpa and AFP

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on August 23 that the US military had redirected 70 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two after Washington reimposed a naval blockade on Iran earlier this summer.

Iran warned France on August 23 that the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats would further damage relations between Tehran and Paris.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei made the remarks during a joint press conference with the head of Iran’s Social Affairs Organization, according to Tasnim News Agency.

Baqaei described France’s decision as unjustifiable and warned of destructive consequences for bilateral ties.

The dispute began in July, when Iranian authorities detained two French Embassy staff members in Tehran. France said they were attending a meeting linked to the Villa Zadig cultural-exchange program and accused Iran of violating their diplomatic protections. Iran rejected the allegations, accusing the French personnel of subversive activities, ordering them to leave the country and declared them persona non grata.

France expelled two Iranian diplomats on August 18 in retaliation.

Baqaei also accused Western countries of using civil society and nongovernmental organizations as tools for interference in Iran's internal affairs.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman begins a two-day visit to France on August 23 to discuss developments in Iran and the situation in the Middle East with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The French presidential palace announced that Macron and bin Salman will discuss "key regional issues," negotiations that, according to Paris, require close coordination between France and its partners in the Persian Gulf countries in the current circumstances to strengthen stability and peace in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the United States that has a long history of tension with Iran, is closely following developments in the region.

Bin Salman and Macron will also chair the first meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council on August 24. Several agreements in the fields of health, transport, and energy are also expected to be signed during the trip.

Iran's judiciary announced on August 23 that another protester arrested during the nationwide protests in January has been executed.

According to Iranian media, Majid Adineh was arrested on January 9 in the Mohammadshahr area of Karaj.

The judiciary accused Adineh of collaborating with “hostile groups,” the United States and Israel, and “inciting war." It also claimed he had "a Colt revolver, three magazines, 30 bullets, two tasers, two tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw, and a bottle of gasoline" in his possession upon his arrest.

The judiciary says his sentence was upheld after an appeal to the Supreme Court and was carried out early on August 23.

Adineh's execution is the latest in a surge of judicial killings. According to the latest data, 483 people have been put to death by the Iranian authorities this year, many of whom were sentenced to death in connection with the January protests where thousands were killed by security forces and tens of thousands more detained.

Since the start of the war with the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran has witnessed a surge in executions of people human rights groups consider political prisoners -- from demonstrators to alleged members of banned groups and those convicted of spying.