Trump’s Iran Threat Moves Into Action: New Sanctions and a Warning to the World

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Monday evening the launch of an "economic ostracism" operation, a wide-ranging campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the actors around the world who continue to assist it. The move is intended, he said, to cut off Tehran’s funding sources and pressure countries, companies, and financial institutions that maintain ties with it.

Bessent compared the launch of the economic campaign to D-Day during World War II: "In World War II, D-Day marked the historic beginning of a campaign in which we worked together with our allies to strike the enemy and remove it from its positions, including those in third countries. Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic assault against Iran’s financial ties around the world."

The Treasury secretary made clear that Washington is seeking to bring about the regime’s near-total economic isolation: "Our goal around the world is to cut off every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime, until Tehran is left alone." According to him, "Iran’s fanatics devote themselves to 'Death to America' and seek to obtain nuclear weapons in order to do exactly that." He added: "They have killed and wounded many of our citizens and members of our security forces."

According to Bessent, the campaign will include actions by the Treasury Department and other U.S. government agencies: "Beginning today, the actions of the Treasury Department and other government agencies will tighten the noose and block every possible source of revenue that funds the Revolutionary Guards and the evil Iranian regime," he declared. "We are implementing a policy of 'zero leakage.' The regime will not be given even the slightest breathing room that would allow it to rebuild its ability to wage terror against America and the world."

The American message was aimed not only at Tehran, but also at the countries and entities enabling its continued economic activity: "This regime’s last refuge is the mistaken conclusion of countries that still fund the Iranian threat, hoping that by doing so they can escape it. Activity in the 'gray areas' of this conflict can no longer be accepted. Countries cannot claim they are unaware that they are enabling this activity."

According to him, "The actors assisting Iran purchase and transport its oil. They enable its flow of money through currency-exchange houses." He went on to warn: "Those who maintain ties with the regime need to hear our message quickly. Those who stand with the United States will reap the rewards of partnership with us. Those who tie themselves to the Iranian regime should expect to share the isolation of a fading regime."

According to Bessent, U.S. President Donald Trump is holding talks with leaders around the world and demanding that they scale back their economic ties with Iran and halt certain activities involving Tehran. He said that "teams from the Treasury Department, the State Department, and the U.S. military are now meeting with their counterparts around the world and making clear that the United States expects action." He added that "every country has been given a timetable for shutting down the activities we identified."

Bessent warned that the United States would not hesitate to act on its own against those who do not comply with its demands: "If they do not act, we will do so unilaterally through the authorities of the Treasury Department. For example, every branch of Bank MLA must close and go dark."

Bessent concluded with another warning to the entities assisting Tehran: "And to those who enabled Tehran to continue operating: Do not underestimate the price of testing Washington’s resolve." According to him, "Any entity that helps launder money for Iran will be cut off from the U.S. dollar system. The clock has started ticking."

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded to the statement in a post on X, writing that "the Americans know that no one believes their bragging." According to him, "The United States is not in an economic position that allows it to further reduce its relations with other countries."
Ghalibaf further claimed that "Iran’s trading partners have informed us, both through the media and in messages sent to us, that they attach no importance whatsoever to these statements."

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also attacked the announcement. According to him, "The hidden message underlying the Americans’ 'economic fury' operation is an admission of defeat on the military front." He added: "This time as well," Rezaei charged, "there is no doubt that the 'yellow dog' will suffer defeat."

In referring to the "economic fury operation," Rezaei meant the broader operation that includes the siege on Iran and the full range of sanctions imposed on it since the start of the campaign. At the same time, Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh declared: "We are fully prepared for the American sanctions." According to him, "They cannot sever our financial arteries."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the American move and addressed Trump in a post he published on X: "You are rightly exacting a heavy price from this brutal dictatorship and from those who help it continue its aggression."