Bessent announces 'toughest sanctions in history' on Iran
Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Getty Images)
The United States will impose very tough economic restrictions on Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said details will be announced on August 24, Reuters reports.
US is preparing new sanctions against Iran
Bessent said he would hold a press conference on Monday to discuss the details.
"It is a one-two punch. We have the blockade (on Iran - ed.), and we are going to have the toughest sanctions in history," he added.
Bessent also expressed confidence that the measures would work against Iran.
"We are going to collapse this regime," he said.
Message to China
Bessent said the time had come for US allies and the rest of the world to make a decision.
"We are confident that everyone wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and for energy prices to come back down," he said.
The Treasury secretary noted that China gets 50% of its energy supplies from the Persian Gulf. Therefore, joining the pressure campaign against Iran would "do them a big service."
According to data from analytics firm Kpler for 2025, China buys more than 80% of the oil exported by Iran.
If the United States were to launch a further economic war against China, the largest exporter to the US, it could face retaliatory measures.
Iran, for its part, has endured tough economic sanctions for nearly 50 years, dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the US plans to impose unprecedented measures against Iran, primarily through heavy economic pressure on the regime.
On August 13, US President Donald Trump said that the United States has full control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, in turn, says it is the only country that controls the key waterway.
In addition, Trump has changed his strategy toward Iran, opting for sanctions and a wait-and-see approach instead of military action.
