By Eman Abouhassira and Yasmine Ghania
DUBAI/CAIRO, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Iranian leaders are acknowledging the economic toll of war with the United States, with the supreme leader calling on the government to address the hardship while the president reported foreign trade has shrunk 35% due to the American sanctions and blockade.
The warnings came even as other leaders threaten the U.S. with military retaliation and declarations that the Iranian navy maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway giving Iran leverage through its ability to disrupt global energy markets.
With the warnow at the six-month mark, and negotiations at an impasse, President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up efforts topunishIran financially with what it has billedas an “economic D-Day.”
Washington haswarned countries to cut their business ties with Iran or face secondary sanctions,…