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Protesters demonstrated in front of the US Embassy in Tehran on Sunday
The United States will announce Monday their "most severe sanctions" against Iran following a wave of protests in this oil-rich country.
The Trump administration reinstates all the sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, targeting both Iran and the states that trade with it.
It will affect oil exports, shipping and banks, all essential elements of the economy.
Thousands of Iranians chanting "Death to America" rallied Sunday to reject calls for talks.
The Iranian army also reportedly said it would hold air exercises Monday and Tuesday to prove its defensive capabilities.
The protests took place on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the occupation of the United States Embassy in Tehran, which led to four decades of mutual hostility.
Before heading to a campaign rally for the mid-term US elections, President Donald Trump said that Iran was already struggling under the policy of its government.
"Sanctions against Iran are very strong, they are the toughest sanctions we have ever imposed, and we will see what happens with Iran, but they are not doing very well, I can you say it."
What started this?
Washington re-imposes sanctions after Trump in May withdrew from a 2015 agreement aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Washington also said it wants to end what it calls "malicious" Tehran activities, including cyberattacks, ballistic missile testing and support for terrorist groups and militias in the Middle East. .
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Donald Trump released the United States of the 2015 nuclear deal in May
"We are working diligently to ensure that we support the Iranian people and direct our activities to ensure that the evil behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran is changed," Pompey told reporters on Sunday. US state Mike Pompeo.
"It's the goal, it's mission, and that's what we're going to achieve on behalf of the president."
What could be the impact?
The United States has gradually re-imposed sanctions, but analysts say this latest round is by far the most important.
More than 700 people, entities, ships and aircraft will be on the sanctions list, including major banks, oil exporters and transport companies.
Mr. Pompeo said that more than 100 major international companies had withdrawn from Iran because of impending sanctions.
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Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, wants to exert "maximum pressure" on Iran
He also said that Iranian oil exports had fallen by nearly one million barrels a day, stifling the country's main source of finance.
In addition, the Brussels-based Swift network making international payments is expected to sever ties with targeted Iranian institutions, thus isolating Iran from the international financial system.
How did the EU countries react?
The United Kingdom, Germany and France – which are among the five countries still committed to the nuclear pact – have all opposed the sanctions.
They promised to support European companies that "do legitimate business" with Iran and have put in place an alternative payment mechanism, called "Special Purpose Vehicle" (SPV) – which will help companies to trade without suffering criminal sanctions.
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Analysts doubt, however, that this significantly reduces the impact of sanctions on Iran.
And in recent days, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the United States would "aggressively" target any company or organization "under our sanctions".
Who is free?
The Trump administration granted exemptions to eight countries to continue importing Iranian oil, without naming them.
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The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that the United States would not dominate Iran.
They include allies from the United States, Italy, India, Japan and South Korea, as well as Turkey, China and India.
Pompeo said countries have already "made significant reductions in their crude oil exports" but needed "a little more time to get to zero".
He said two would eventually stop imports and the other six would cut them down considerably.
What was the reaction in Iran?
The sanctions imposed by the United States coincide with the headquarters of the US Embassy on November 4, 1979, which took place shortly after the fall of the US-backed shah.
Some 52 Americans were held hostage at the embassy for 444 days. Since then, both countries are enemies.
The uncompromising organizes demonstrations every year to commemorate the siege, but on Sunday protestors also expressed anger over the sanctions.
The Iranian media reported that millions of people had gone to towns and villages, swearing allegiance to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, although the BBC was not able to to check this figure independently.
She followed a heated speech on Saturday by Ayatollah Khamenei, in which he warned that the United States would not "re-establish the dominance" they had over Iran before 1979.
However, some Iranians used Twitter to express their frustration with the diet, with the hashtag #Sorry_US_Embassy_Siege attracting more than 19,000 tweets.
A user tweeted in English: "In the last 40 years, the Iranian Islamic regime has tried to portray the United States and Israel as enemies of Iran, but the Iranian people do not think like mullahs. We love all the nations and peoples of the world. "
Another said: "America is not our enemy, our enemies have taken us hostage [country]. "
