Bessent warns global Iran supporters: ‘Stay away’ or ‘we’ll take you out of business’ | Today’s news
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has issued a stark warning to countries, banks and businesses that help Iran stay afloat, saying the Trump administration will target those who support Tehran as Washington steps up its campaign of economic pressure.
“We say to friends and foes, don’t engage with this evil regime,” Bessent said in an interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends on Wednesday (Sept. 2).
“We know who you are, you know who you are, and we’ll take you out of business if we have to,” he warned.
Bessent warns of Iran’s financial lifelines
Bessent said the Treasury Department is targeting financial institutions and other outside entities that continue to support Iran despite U.S. sanctions.
He pointed to recent sanctions targeting the Dubai branches of an Egyptian bank, which he said had provided the Iranian regime with more than $1.8 billion by 2025.
The finance minister warned that similar actions could be taken against other institutions and companies found to be helping Tehran circumvent US restrictions.
“We will systematically go through and weed out any such bad actors,” Bessent said.
Support for Putin and Iran is under US scrutiny
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also emerged as the focus of the administration’s pressure campaign after pledging support for Iran at a recent summit and vowing to resist US sanctions.
Bessent said the new Treasury Department authorities expanded Washington’s ability to enforce Iran’s support network in several sectors, including aviation, shipping and digital assets.
He warned that companies that continue to do business with Tehran could face similar consequences.
“It’s all hands on deck,” Bessent said, adding that Treasury and State Department teams have been in talks with countries and businesses supporting Iran.
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Bessent points to Iran’s worsening economic crisis
Bessent said the impact of the US pressure campaign is already being felt inside Iran.
He pointed to hour-long queues at petrol stations, a rapidly weakening currency, inflation above 100% and what he described as Iran’s inability to pay its military personnel.
The comments come as Washington combines economic sanctions with military and naval pressure against Tehran.
The US is trying to “suffocate” the Iranian regime
Bessent described the Trump administration’s strategy as a multi-layered campaign to isolate Iran from the global economy.
“We had these six weeks of successful kinetic strikes, then we imposed a blockade that quarantines and isolates the country,” he said.
“We are now applying sanctions that we have never seen before and that will suffocate the regime,” Bessent added.
The warning signals a broader U.S. effort to cut off Iran’s access to international financial, shipping, aviation and digital asset networks while putting pressure on foreign entities that continue to maintain economic ties to Tehran.
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