US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States will impose the strongest sanctions in history against Iran to collapse its national economy.
Speaking in an interview with CNBC on Thursday, Bessent stated that the economic pressure campaign would combine a physical blockade with unprecedented financial restrictions aimed at dismantling the Iranian regime.
According to news agency Reuters, Bessent warned that foreign countries choosing to maintain commercial relations with Iran will also face swift US economic penalties under secondary sanction powers.
Bessent issued a direct warning to international trading partners, stating that nations are either with the United States or against it. He warned that any government or enterprise persisting in doing business with Tehran, including executing financial transfers, purchasing crude oil, or conducting maritime shipping operations, will face the full weight and force of the US Department of the Treasury and the federal government.
The Treasury Secretary described the planned strategy as the largest coordinated economic isolation in world history, adding that the time has come for American allies and the international community to make a definitive choice.
White House economic pressure campaign
The announcement from Bessent came one day after US President Donald Trump promised that Washington is preparing the most massive and crushing economic operation ever directed at any country.
President Trump similarly warned that any nation continuing to engage in economic activity with Iran would face colossal consequences.
The US Department of the Treasury functions as the primary government agency responsible for enforcing economic sanctions, managing foreign asset controls, and restricting international financial access for targeted foreign regimes.
Regional escalation and security risks
The economic threats follow intelligence reports from August 19 indicating that Iran is evaluating potential retaliatory strikes against US military facilities located across Europe, with potential targets identified in Bulgaria and Cyprus, should the United States escalate confrontation.
In response to potential Iranian threats against European territory, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization confirmed its commitment to defend European member nations against Iranian aggression.
Bulgaria and Cyprus represent key defensive locations in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, hosting military facilities critical to regional security coordination.
