Finance Minister Scott Bessent wants to force Iran to its knees and is making use of the vast market that trades in dollars. The United States will no longer tolerate those who trade with Iran. It is either one or the other.
Bessent announced a new round of sanctions on Monday and gave countries that trade with Iran a short deadline to sever those ties.
“If people do not want to meet our expectations as we expect them to, they should expect to be shut out of the dollar system,” Bessent said at a press conference.
He made clear that the aim is not to disrupt the global economy, but to force Iran into economic isolation.
The initial reactions from Wall Street were positive.
A fall in oil prices provided some breathing room for bond yields on Monday, as investors received further details about Washington’s intensified economic pressure campaign against Iran.
Finance Minister Scott Bessent outlined the plans at a press conference this afternoon, with the aim of inflicting an “economic D-Day” on Iran. Brent crude futures snapped their six-session winning streak, with the international benchmark settling $2.22 lower at $92.17 a barrel.
Most observers agree that Iran is completely on its knees.
NRK’s Middle East correspondent Yama Wolasmal differed, saying that “Iran may never have been stronger”. An original point of view.
Finance Minister Scott Bessent outlined the plans at a press conference this afternoon. “Let there be no doubt about the position of the United States: Any economic cooperation with this murderous regime will expose those responsible to the full weight of American power,” Bessent said on Monday during a press conference.
As part of the new initiative, which he called “Operation Economic Outcast”, Bessent said that his department has “mapped every hub, every intermediary and every network that Iran has used to smuggle oil and evade sanctions.” He said that the United States is imposing sanctions on more than 60 entities, individuals and vessels around the world that enable the regime to acquire nuclear and missile technology, earn revenue from oil and conduct cyber operations. Brent crude futures snapped their six-day winning streak, with the international benchmark settling $2.22 lower at $92.17 a barrel.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-08-24-2026
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/bessent-launches-operation-economic-outcast-to-isolate-iran-0e4db091?mod=WTRN_pos8
