US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation
Washington announces measures against 60 individuals, entities, and vessels, while Iran predicts 'another defeat' for the US.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation
Photograph: The Hindu (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on 60 individuals, entities, and vessels.
- Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh stated Iran is prepared for the sanctions and predicted 'another defeat' for the US.
- Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi vowed to strike US vital interests and energy chokepoints if Iran's infrastructure is threatened.
- The new sanctions list did not include Chinese financial institutions suspected of facilitating Iran's oil trade.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 16 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 9 of the 25 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
45/100
Hype
40/100
25 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 16 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The United States Treasury Department has announced new sanctions targeting 60 individuals, entities, and vessels. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that countries continuing to trade with Iran risked being removed from the dollar-based financial system, though he did not immediately identify which countries or when penalties would take effect. Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh responded by saying Iran is prepared for the sanctions and predicted 'another defeat' for the US. Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, vowed to deliver heavy blows to US vital interests and energy chokepoints if Iran's infrastructure is threatened.
The list of new sanctions did not include any Chinese financial institutions suspected of facilitating Iran's oil trade. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that countries and companies would be given time to sever ties with Iran. He previously urged cooperation from China, Iran's largest oil buyer, though US port blockades had already reduced Iranian oil flows to China. Experts suggest Washington may be wary of Chinese retaliation ahead of anticipated talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Disagreement on Pakistan's mediation role
The Hindu reported that Pakistani army chief Asim Munir visited Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on a peace mission, following a conversation with Donald Trump. Channel News Asia also reported on this visit, stating that Pakistan had made "significant progress" in recent talks with Tehran focused on preventing escalation and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. El Diario and eldiariodechihuahua.mx stated that Pakistan is seeking to mediate, while Iran's Minister of Economy Ali Madanizadeh said he has a 'two-year plan' to confront the sanctions. However, none of the other reports mention the Pakistani mediation efforts or the specific details of the talks.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports mention the interim peace deal known as the Islamabad memorandum, which Iran and the United States signed in June. Similarly, none of the right-rated reports mention Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi's specific vow to strike US vital interests and energy chokepoints if Iran's infrastructure is threatened.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 25 Aug 2026, 06:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
People walk by a mural depicting Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Aug 13, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency))
Channel News Asia — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led with Iran's vow to retaliate against the expanded US sanctions. Both The Hindu and Al-Monitor carried full reports that detailed the US Treasury Department's announcement of sanctions on 60 individuals, entities, and vessels, noting the absence of Chinese financial institutions from the list. They highlighted statements from Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh and Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi regarding Iran's preparedness and threats of retaliation. Both reports also mentioned the faltering interim peace deal known as the Islamabad memorandum and Pakistan's mediation efforts. The Hindu's full report also included details about the ongoing war, its impact, and the state of Iran's nuclear program.
Centre
6 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports focused on Iran's promise to retaliate against the expanded US economic sanctions, with many highlighting Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh's prediction of 'another defeat' for the United States. Reports from Channel News Asia, RTÉ, WTVB, Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija, cedarnews.net, and El Diario all mentioned Iran's preparedness and its 'two-year plan' to counter the sanctions. Several also noted that the sanctions list did not include Chinese financial institutions. Channel News Asia and El Diario also reported on Pakistan's mediation efforts and progress in talks with Tehran aimed at preventing escalation and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Right
8 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports led with Iran's vow to retaliate against the expanded US economic sanctions, often quoting the phrase 'Fully prepared'. The Hindu Business Line, Tribune India, ARY News, Times of India, The Straits Times, Business Times, Arutz Sheva, and Free Malaysia Today News all covered Iran's preparedness and its pledge to retaliate. Many highlighted Iran's Economy Minister's statement about being 'fully prepared' and predicting 'another defeat' for the US. Arutz Sheva specifically mentioned Iran's 'two-year plan' to counter the sanctions. The Straits Times noted Iran's earlier threats of a military response and reduced oil exports. Business Times mentioned that US Treasury Secretary Bessent told Tehran's trading partners to cut ties.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation?
- Of the 16 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 13% are rated left, 37% are rated centre, 50% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 25. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 16 rated outlets on this story, 13% are rated left, 37% are rated centre, 50% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation biased?
- US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation is one event reported by 25 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered US imposes new sanctions on Iran; Tehran vows retaliation?
- 25 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did the US Treasury Department announce?
- The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting 60 individuals, entities, and vessels. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that countries continuing to trade with Iran risked being removed from the dollar-based financial system.
- How did Iran respond to the new US sanctions?
- Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh stated that Iran is prepared for the US sanctions and predicted 'another defeat' for the US. Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi vowed to deliver heavy blows to US vital interests and energy chokepoints if Iran's infrastructure is threatened.
- Were any Chinese financial institutions included in the sanctions?
- No, the list of new sanctions did not include any Chinese financial institutions suspected of facilitating Iran's oil trade. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that countries and companies would be given time to sever ties with Iran.
- What is the status of the peace deal between Iran and the US?
- Iran and the United States signed an interim peace deal in June, known as the Islamabad memorandum, which has since faltered. Pakistan has been mediating talks focused on preventing escalation and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Read it at the source
25 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2Centre
6- Washington Does Not Rule Out Using Military Force Against Iran, and Tehran Threatens It with "Another Defeat". (opens cedarnews.net in a new tab)
cedarnews.net — is cedarnews.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran Warns Washington of 'Another Defeat' After New US Sanctions (opens Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija in a new tab)
- Iran vows retaliation as US widens economic sanctions (opens RTÉ in a new tab)
- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens Channel News Asia in a new tab)
Channel News Asia — is Channel News Asia biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Iran Challenges U.S. Sanctions While Pakistan Seeks to Mediate · Global Voices (opens El Diario in a new tab)
Right
8- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens Free Malaysia Today News in a new tab)
Free Malaysia Today News — is Free Malaysia Today News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens ARY News in a new tab)
- ‘Fully prepared’: Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions - The Tribune (opens Tribune India in a new tab)
Tribune India — is Tribune India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows retaliation after US expands economic sanctions (opens The Hindu Business Line in a new tab)
The Hindu Business Line — is The Hindu Business Line biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows to withstand new US sanctions, says Washington faces 'another defeat' (opens Arutz Sheva in a new tab)
Arutz Sheva — is Arutz Sheva biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US widens Iran sanctions but holds back toughest measures; Teheran vows to retaliate (opens Business Times in a new tab)
Business Times — is Business Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
9- Iran Warns of Retaliation as US Expands Economic Sanctions (opens indtoday.com in a new tab)
indtoday.com — is indtoday.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows to retaliate after US widens sanctions (opens Fiji Broadcasting Corporation in a new tab)
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation — is Fiji Broadcasting Corporation biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran vows retaliation after US expands sanctions targeting digital assets, gold, and shipping (opens Crypto Briefing in a new tab)
Crypto Briefing — is Crypto Briefing biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran Promises "Another Defeat" to the U.S. After Sanctions (opens Correio da Manhã in a new tab)
Correio da Manhã — is Correio da Manhã biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran Predicts "Another Defeat" for the U.S. After Washington's New Sanctions (opens El Economista in a new tab)
El Economista — is El Economista biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran Promises a "New Defeat" for the US After Announcing the Economic "D-Day" - Hegseth Does Not Rule Out New Attacks (opens ertnews.gr in a new tab)
ertnews.gr — is ertnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran Promises "New Defeat" to the United States After Sanctions (opens Noticias ao Minuto in a new tab)
Noticias ao Minuto — is Noticias ao Minuto biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Iran Challenges U.S. Sanctions While Pakistan Seeks to Mediate · Global Voices (opens eldiariodechihuahua.mx in a new tab)
eldiariodechihuahua.mx — is eldiariodechihuahua.mx biased? Our profile of this outlet
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