{"id":66947,"date":"2026-08-24T04:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T08:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-prepares-economic-d-day-sanctions-as-pakistan-mediates-iran-conflict\/66947\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T04:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T08:38:18","slug":"us-prepares-economic-d-day-sanctions-as-pakistan-mediates-iran-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-prepares-economic-d-day-sanctions-as-pakistan-mediates-iran-conflict\/66947\/","title":{"rendered":"US Prepares &#8220;Economic D-Day&#8221; Sanctions as Pakistan Mediates Iran Conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent<\/strong> is set to unveil &quot;the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary&quot; at 1 PM EDT, targeting Iran\u2019s global trade partners.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pakistan\u2019s Army Chief Asim Munir<\/strong> arrived in Tehran for high-level talks following a strategic phone call with <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong>, positioning Islamabad as a critical mediator in the six-month-old conflict.<\/li>\n<li><strong>LME Copper orders surged by 51,400 tons<\/strong>, the largest spike since May, as supply squeezes and warehouse bidding wars drive prices toward record highs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry<\/strong> warned that it will not allow the war to end on the &quot;aggressor&#39;s terms,&quot; vowing to use bilateral capabilities to bypass US economic isolation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Swiss Sight Deposits<\/strong> rose to 463.7B CHF for the week ending August 21, reflecting a shift in domestic liquidity amid global market volatility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>US Signals &quot;Economic D-Day&quot; for Tehran<\/h2>\n<p>US Treasury Secretary <strong>Scott Bessent<\/strong> is scheduled to hold a press conference Monday at 1 PM EDT to detail what he describes as an &quot;Economic D-Day&quot; against Iran. The proposed measures aim to sever the country&#39;s remaining economic lifelines by targeting any nation or entity that continues to trade with the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n<p>Bessent, writing in the <em>Financial Times<\/em>, signaled that the US is entering the &quot;endgame&quot; of its confrontation with Tehran. The sanctions are expected to specifically target &quot;fearful nations&quot; that engage with Iran\u2019s financial system, pressuring them to choose between Iranian markets and access to the US dollar.<\/p>\n<h2>Pakistan\u2019s Diplomatic High-Wire Act<\/h2>\n<p>Pakistan&#39;s Army Chief, Field Marshal <strong>Asim Munir<\/strong>, departed for Tehran on Monday to meet with senior Iranian officials. The visit follows a previously unreported phone call between Munir and <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong>, suggesting a coordinated effort to establish a backchannel for negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Islamabad has increasingly positioned itself as a mediator to break the deadlock in the US-Iran war, which has brought shipping in the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong> to a near-standstill. While Iran has expressed goodwill toward the mediation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson <strong>Esmaeil Baghaei<\/strong> emphasized that the &quot;aggressor side must be held accountable&quot; for the conflict\u2019s consequences.<\/p>\n<h2>Copper Markets Face Acute Supply Squeeze<\/h2>\n<p>Industrial metals are seeing significant volatility, with <strong>LME Copper<\/strong> orders surging by 51,400 tons on Monday. This represents the largest single-day surge in orders since May, driven by a &quot;flash squeeze&quot; that has pushed spot prices to a massive premium over future contracts.<\/p>\n<p>The supply crunch is being exacerbated by the movement of inventories to the US ahead of potential tariff decisions. Major producers like Freeport-McMoRan (<a href=\"\/stock\/FCX\">FCX<\/a>) and Southern Copper (<a href=\"\/stock\/SCCO\">SCCO<\/a>) remain in focus as analysts warn that shrinking warehouse stocks could drive copper prices beyond the <strong>$14,500 per ton<\/strong> record set earlier this year.<\/p>\n<h2>Macroeconomic Shifts in Europe<\/h2>\n<p>In Europe, the <strong>Swiss National Bank (SNB)<\/strong> reported that total sight deposits rose to <strong>463.7B CHF<\/strong> as of August 21, up from 458.8B CHF the previous week. Domestic sight deposits accounted for the bulk of this increase, rising to <strong>437.1B CHF<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><em>This uptick in liquidity suggests a cautious stance among Swiss financial institutions<\/em> as they navigate the fallout from Middle Eastern tensions and the looming US sanctions. Global markets remain on edge as the 1 PM EDT Treasury announcement approaches, with oil and equity futures showing increased sensitivity to the escalating rhetoric.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to unveil &quot;the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an 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