The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and entities, including bodies based in China, Hong Kong and Pakistan, for helping Iran's Ministry of Defense purchase weapons and their components. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department 'will not tolerate any support for the regime,' as part of the Trump administration's efforts to economically isolate Iran and push it to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war that erupted in February. Meanwhile, Tehran is awaiting a formal US response to an Iranian proposal that includes a cessation of hostilities on all fronts for 7 days, including the Lebanese front, the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of oil sanctions, and the end of the naval blockade, linking the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the implementation of these conditions. The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said Iran had informed Washington of its conditions, while US President Donald Trump publicly rejected the proposal, saying Iran is in a very bad position and that he does not know if it will surrender, and announcing that quantities of oil exceeding pre-war levels were exported from the Strait of Hormuz in the past two days.
On the nuclear file, the Kremlin said on Tuesday it wants clarification on statements by Iranian officials about a possible withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, stressing Moscow's adherence to Tehran remaining a party to the treaty. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia does not want Iran to withdraw, noting that Iranian officials have affirmed their country is not developing a nuclear weapon and is committed to its obligations under the non-proliferation regime and its right to peaceful nuclear energy. The Russian position came after Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad said Tehran is studying withdrawal from the treaty. Amid the escalation, reports revealed that Tehran has offered financial rewards of up to $40,000 to anyone who captures or kills an American soldier in the Middle East. Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the initiative came after Iranians wanted to financially support the war, noting that the reward reaches about $20,000 and doubles to $40,000 if a woman carries out the operation, with the possibility of including citizens from other countries in the region, while the IRGC sent a 25-page open letter to the American people.
Domestically, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States and Israel are seeking to harm Iran by stirring internal divisions after failing to subdue Iranians, stressing that Tehran will thwart these plots and maintain its relations with friendly and neighboring countries. He noted that Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and other friendly and neighboring countries help Iran but have their own calculations, and addressed US sanctions on Iran's aviation sector that have led, since 23 September, to the suspension or restriction of flights by Iranian companies. The Iranian rial plunged to a historic level, surpassing 2.5 million per dollar, amid ongoing contacts regarding the Strait of Hormuz. In Iraq, the Ministry of Transport announced that Iraqi Airways has completed its technical preparations to resume flights to Iran in early October after Baghdad obtained a special exemption from the US Treasury Department that lasts for one month and ends on 28 October unless extended, limiting operations to the Iraqi national carrier from Najaf International Airport for religious visits and prohibiting the transfer of funds and sensitive materials. In Tehran, hardline MP and cleric Hamid Rasaie began serving a 10-month prison sentence in Evin prison after being convicted of 'publishing false information with intent to harm others' over accusing Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf of 'manipulating parliament documents' in early 2024 and calling him a 'parliamentary dictator,' revealing widening divisions within the conservative camp.
Meanwhile, Lebanon ON quoted Ismail al-Najjar as saying Iran will attack Israel with a missile he described as super, and that Hezbollah is ready, warning that Lebanon will ignite, in talk of a 'calm before the storm' and an upcoming major war.