Newsletters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that Washington would seek to extract funds from Iranian accounts to cover damage caused by attacks on U.S. allies in the Gulf and offset any tolls imposed on shipping in the region.
In a statement posted on X, Bessent said Iran would lose what he described as a “zero-sum game” and warned that each attack would bring deeper economic and financial consequences.
“Any damage it inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts,” Bessent said.
He also said any tolls paid to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority would be offset by money taken from Iranian accounts.
“Every attack Iran launches will only deepen the economic and financial consequences it faces,” he added.
Bessent said Washington would use Iranian funds to compensate for damage inflicted on Gulf allies.
He did not specify which Iranian accounts would be targeted, how much money could be extracted or what legal mechanism would be used.
The Treasury secretary also referred to tolls collected by the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, saying such payments would be offset with funds taken from Iran.
His statement linked military actions by Tehran directly to further financial pressure from Washington.
“The Iranian regime will lose the zero-sum game it is playing,” Bessent said.
Bessent’s warning came after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would strike Iran “very hard” Thursday night.
Trump announced the planned attacks on Truth Social but did not provide details about the timing, targets or scale of the operation.
“The United States will be hitting Iran very hard tonight,” Trump said.
He repeated his claim that Iran’s military capabilities had largely been destroyed.
Trump said Iran’s navy, air force, radar systems, air defenses and most of its offensive capabilities were no longer operational.
Trump also threatened to seize Kharg Island and other Iranian oil infrastructure at a later stage.
Bessent’s statement added a financial dimension to the administration’s pressure on Tehran, warning that Iranian assets would be used to cover damage and shipping costs linked to the conflict.
Neither Trump nor Bessent provided further details about how the threatened military and financial measures would be carried out.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
3 min read
