US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday reiterated President Donald Trump's threat of an 'economic D-Day' against Iran, declaring that Washington's aim is to 'sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone'.
In a post on X, Bessent said, "President Trump has dismantled Iran's military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100% of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program. We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary."
President Trump has dismantled Iran's military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) August 23, 2026
We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against…
He accused Tehran of "dressing extortion as security guarantees" and said Iran had long calculated that "retaliation as certain and American enforcement as negotiable," adding that "under President Trump, that era is over."
ALSO READ: Iran Condemns US Sanction Plans; Pak Army Chief To Visit Tehran
The Treasury Secretary further said the administration had "created the conditions to leverage every agency, every authority and action many assumed we would never summon," warning those wary of confronting Tehran "ought not to discount the cost of testing Washington."
Bessent's remarks follow Trump's announcement last week that the US would impose an "unprecedented" level of economic warfare and isolation on Iran, with the stated goal of pressuring Tehran's leadership to abandon its nuclear programme and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas tankers.
Neither Trump nor Bessent has so far disclosed the specific measures the new sanctions regime will entail.
The Treasury Secretary had earlier told CNBC that the strategy amounted to a "one-two punch," pairing the existing US naval blockade of Iran with what he called the "toughest sanctions in history," asserting that the combined pressure would "collapse" the Iranian government.
He is expected to lay out further details of the sanctions package at a press conference later in the day, with the measures reportedly set to target Iran's oil exports, banking networks and foreign trading partners.
The latest escalation comes nearly six months into the US-Israeli conflict with Iran and amid an uneasy standoff since a ceasefire in June, with the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor carrying roughly a fifth of global oil supply, remaining at the centre of the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.