Trump Announces Toughest-Ever Penalties on Iran Months After Threat

On August 20, 2026, President Trump announced what he called his "most crushing" sanctions on Iran — penalties meant to cripple its economy by cutting off trade and money flows. This follows a February threat giving Iran about two weeks to make a deal or face "really bad things." No deal happened. No new talks were announced. Trump wants to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.