Live – US says 82 ships rerouted under Iran blockade as Tehran reports 35% trade drop

Iran’s government said it would pursue diplomacy and military defense simultaneously while resisting US sanctions, presenting the two tracks as “complementary, coordinated and inseparable” as economic pressure on the country intensifies.

In a statement responding to recent statement from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the government said diplomacy would continue on the principles of “dignity, wisdom and expediency,” while Tehran would stand firmly against what it called US-Israeli sanctions and conspiracies.

“The fields of diplomacy and defense” are two inseparable means of protecting Iran’s national interests, security and territorial integrity, the statement said.

The government also pledged to make economic conditions a central priority, citing inflation, market management, job creation, directing investment toward domestic production and gradually reducing reliance on the dollar.

It said future political, economic, social and cultural decisions would also be assessed for their impact on “national cohesion,” echoing Khamenei’s call a day earlier to avoid rhetoric or policies that could deepen internal divisions.

The statement comes as President Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged that Iran’s imports and exports have fallen sharply under sanctions and the US maritime blockade, while Washington is expanding its economic pressure campaign against Tehran.