WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday announced a new round of sanctions against the Iranian national bank, escalating economic pressure on the country as the president’s national security advisers review a list of targets for a potential strike in retaliation for recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil fields.
“Highest sanctions ever imposed on a country,” Mr. Trump said during brief remarks in the Oval Office, as he hosted the Australian prime minister and his wife for a state visit.
The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Thursday that a military strike against Iran by the United States or Saudi Arabia would result in “an all-out war.”