U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the Iranian regime will lose the zero-sum game it is playing, saying any damage it inflicts on Gulf allies or any tolls from the Strait of Hormuz will be offset by funds extracted from Iranian accounts. Bessent's statement escalates economic deterrence language as the US military campaign against Iran continues and follows Trump's assertion that the US naval blockade is a 'steel wall' around Iran.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a direct financial threat to the Iranian regime on Tuesday, asserting that Iran 'will lose the zero-sum game it is playing.' In a statement published at 15:43 Jerusalem time, Bessent laid out a mechanism for offsetting Iranian aggression: any damage Iran inflicts on U.S. allies in the Gulf 'will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian Accounts,' and any tolls paid to the 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' will similarly be offset. 'Every attack Iran launches will only deepen the economic and financial consequences it faces,' Bessent said.
The statement marks a significant escalation in economic deterrence language from the Trump administration, complementing the ongoing military campaign—Operation Epic Fury—against Iranian targets. It comes the same day President Trump described the US naval blockade as a 'steel wall' and declared that Iran's military is 'a total and complete mess.' As The Zioneer reported on June 10, Treasury Secretary Bessent has been a key architect of the administration's strategy of maximum economic pressure, described by Senator Lindsey Graham as continuing to 'further break the Iranians.'
- StrongUS Treasury Secretary Bessent: any damage to Gulf allies from Iran will be paid from Iranian accounts
- DevelopingCommentator warns against Iran's 'most dangerous game,' says Israel must not be the price
- ConfirmedHegseth warns US will hit Iran hard on American terms
- StrongIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: toll collection in Strait of Hormuz continues, contradicting Trump
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