Trump's Economic D-Day For Iran, Gulf Allies React To US Plan, SCOTUS Mail-in Voting

Up First from NPR

This episode of Up First from NPR covers three major developments: the Trump administration's new economic sanctions targeting Iran, reactions from Gulf allies and China, and a Supreme Court

Key takeaways

• The U.S. economic pressure campaign against Iran is more about signaling than immediate action, with targeted sanctions on 60 entities but no clear timeline for broader measures.
• China remains a key oil buyer for Iran and has publicly rejected the U.S. sanctions as illegal, indicating resistance to American diplomatic pressure.

Main topics

• U.S. economic sanctions on Iran
• Gulf allies' responses to U.S. pressure

Notable quotes

We know who they are. They know who they are. So when the hammer of U.S. Treasury actions falls upon them, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

Conclusion

While the Trump administration pushes economic isolation of Iran through targeted sanctions and diplomatic pressure,

Transcript preview

Speaker 5 (0:01) The White Speaker 1 (0:02) House's plan to hit Iran's economy landed softer than expected. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessette announced 60 new sanction targets, then gave everyone a window to comply. He didn't even mention China, Iran's biggest oil buyer. Speaker 5 (0:14) I'm Michelle Martin. That's Leila Fadal. And this is Up First from NPR News. Speaker 5 (0:20) President Trump needs other countries to fall in line with his economic pressure campaign on Iran. The UAE has already cut ties. Will others follow suit? And the Supreme Court Speaker 1 (0:30) handed President Trump a temporary win in his fight against mail-in voting. The court let Trump move ahead with an executive order. Voting by mail is still an option nationwide, but the legal fight is continuing with the midterms coming soon. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. Speaker 6 (0:55) This message comes from WISE, the smart way to manage your money around the world. With WISE, you can send, spend, and receive money in over 40 currencies at the mid-market rate. Learn more at WISE.com. T's and C's apply. This message comes from Bloomberg, our town from Bloomberg's Big Take podcast. follows residents of Gainesboro, Tennessee, after a group of far-right Christians moves in with plans for a radical social experiment. Listen to Our Town wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 4 (1:27) Okay, so you're driving to work or you're on a walk or you're at the gym or whatever, and you just need to clear your head. That's the perfect time to hit the play button on NPR's All Songs Considered. It's not the news, it's not work, or whatever else is weighing you down. It's just a good time with good friends and great tunes. Listen to All Songs Considered every Tuesday in the NPR Music Podcast. Speaker 1 (1:51) The Trump administration called it the economic D-Day for Iran, but unlike the surprise Allied landing in France during World War II, this D-Day was more of a warning. to countries that sanctions are coming. Here's Speaker 5 (2:05) how Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put it in his news conference Monday. We Speaker 7 (2:08) are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior. Why would I want to blow up the global financial system? The Speaker 5 (2:17) Trump administration has struggled to find an exit ramp to the war against Iran. Now it's trying to step up the financial pressure Speaker 1 (2:22) instead. Joining us to talk about this is NPR's diplomatic correspondent, Michelle Kellerman. Good morning, Michelle. Speaker 2 (2:28) Good morning, Layla. Speaker 1 (2:29) Okay, so the Trump administration calls this Operation Economic Outcast. What's the plan here? Speaker 2 (2:35) I mean, the U.S. wants to make the choices clear to Iran. It's either economic isolation and a subsistence economy or a path back to normal relations with the world. But the trouble is there are a lot of gray areas, and that's what Besant is trying to deal with. He's warning countries that the U.S. knows how Iran is evading sanctions. He says the Treasury Department, and these are his words, have mapped every node, every facilitator, every network that Iran has used. to smuggle oil and evade sanctions. And now the U.S. is looking at Iran's dealings in cryptocurrency, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping. The Treasury Secretary says no country or business is above the reach of U.S. sanctions. Take a listen. Speaker 7 (3:20) We know who they are. They know who they are. So when the hammer of U.S. Treasury actions falls upon them, they will have no one to blame but themselves. Speaker 2 (3:31) He announced sanctions on 60 entities and individuals, but didn't say when that