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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Kareem Chehayeb and Sam McNeil

Iran scrambles to sustain trade as US threatens to sanction countries that refuse to break ties

Iran Sanctions Trade - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Iran’s economy, already strained by high inflation, years of Western sanctions and a war that has sharply reduced oil revenue, is poised for more instability as the Trump administration tries to coerce other countries into ending all financial dealings with the Islamic Republic.

A decision by the United Arab Emirates to suspend trade relations with Iran last week kick-started the White House’s latest attempt to isolate Tehran into submission. Iran entered the war with its foreign commerce concentrated among a relatively small group of countries, leaving it with fewer places to turn now.

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