On September 2, 2026, Eastern Time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent stated during a morning television interview on Fox News' "Fox & Friends": "We are telling friends and foes alike: Do not engage with this evil regime. We know who you are. You know who you are. If necessary, we will shut you down completely."
The remarks made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent on September 2, 2026, during his appearance on Fox News, are far more than mere diplomatic rhetoric—they serve as a clear signal that the United States has entered a substantive and intensified phase of its "Operation Economic Outcast" targeting Iran.
Bessent's explicit declaration that "we are telling friends and foes" marks a strategic shift from past verbal warnings and sporadic sanctions to a sustained, high-frequency campaign of secondary sanctions. He explicitly announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury would introduce new sanctions measures on a weekly basis, with the primary target being global financial institutions—warning them not to continue holding Iranian funds or assisting the regime’s operations. This relentless pressure is designed to instill fear across all third-party entities potentially providing financial conduits to Iran, placing them in a state of perpetual anxiety. The core deterrent power behind Bessent’s phrase “we will shut you down” lies in severing targeted institutions’ access to the U.S. dollar clearing system—a highly destructive form of secondary sanction.
In addition to targeting financial institutions, Bessent also launched a highly targeted psychological warfare campaign directly at Iran’s top political elites. He publicly revealed that the U.S. possesses information about their trust accounts and overseas mansions located in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, threatening to "close all of it down."
Bessent’s choice to deliver these hardline statements during the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting carries profound political symbolism. By leveraging this multilateral platform, he sent a clear message to finance ministers from major economies and emerging markets worldwide: actively cut economic ties with Iran, or face U.S. secondary sanctions. In effect, the United States is forcing global businesses and nations to make a brutal binary choice between "doing business with Iran" and "retaining access to the U.S. dollar system."
Bessent’s remarks represent America’s latest economic "meat grinder" campaign against Iran, exploiting its dollar hegemony. Through frequent secondary sanctions, blocking access to dollar clearing channels, expanding the scope of sanctions, and precisely targeting elite personal assets, the U.S. aims to completely dismantle Iran’s regime’s economic lifeline—without resorting to military conflict. However, this extreme pressure has triggered strong international backlash. European and Canadian allies openly expressed their dissatisfaction during the G20 summit over how U.S. policies hinder global economic growth, signaling growing resistance to unilateral economic hegemony.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875294568261635/
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