IRAN on Thursday denounced the latest U.S. sanctions as "economic terrorism," as Washington announced a new campaign to exert maximum economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.

The strong condemnation came from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, who took to social media to express his country's stance.

"It is utterly abominable how policies that deliberately inflict pain and suffering on innocent people are presented with smug self-righteousness. This only reveals an inhumane mindset behind them. These are nothing short of economic terrorism and state-sponsored extortion -- actions that amount to crimes against humanity and, in their cumulative effect, constitute genocide," Baghaei posted on social media X.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Treasury is launching an operation called "Economic Fury" against Iran to maximize economic pressure.

Hegseth said that the U.S. military stands ready to resume combat operations "with more power than ever before" if Iran makes the wrong choice and refuses to reach an agreement. He also described a potential U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports as the mildest way to deal with it at present.

The U.S. goal is to ensure "Iran never has a nuclear weapon," Hegseth said, adding that the U.S. prefers a mild approach through negotiations but does not rule out tough methods.