According to a CGTN report on Weibo today, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent stated on the evening of August 13 local time that the United States will implement "unprecedented" measures against Iran.
In an interview, Bessent said, "This will combine unprecedented economic isolation tactics with a sustained blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off all access routes to and from Iranian ports—please stay tuned for further announcements expected next week."
The essence of Bessent's statement is the U.S. escalation of its approach toward Iran from conventional sanctions to a comprehensive strategy of "economic strangulation + maritime encirclement." The core logic lies in achieving war-level effects through non-military means: without launching a full-scale war, the U.S. aims to sever Iran’s entire external economic lifelines, forcing it to completely capitulate on nuclear issues and control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Bessent explicitly characterized this strategy as a "combination punch," advancing economic isolation and maritime blockade simultaneously. On the same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth also stated that the U.S. military possesses sufficient resources to impose an "indefinite" maritime blockade on Iran and can rotate naval assets deployed in the region as needed.
The combined effect of these actions is clear: even if Iran manages to circumvent financial sanctions through gray channels, the maritime blockade will physically cut off its export routes; and even if there are gaps in the naval blockade, financial strangulation will prevent Iran from converting export revenues into usable foreign exchange.
Bessent’s remarks mark a new and dangerous phase in U.S.-Iran strategic rivalry. The U.S. strategy is unambiguous: replace military invasion with economic suffocation, substitute artillery bombardment with financial strangulation, and achieve maximum strategic impact with minimal military cost.
Yet this strategy faces a fundamental paradox: the harder the sanctions, the less incentive Iran has to compromise. As analysis has pointed out, Iran has endured decades of sanctions without yielding on core interests. When economic pressure reaches "suffocation" levels, Iran is more likely not to submit—but to escalate militarily, using force to break through the economic siege.
The specific measures Bessent is set to unveil next week will be the crucial test of this "economic war." But regardless of how severe they may be, one basic truth remains unchanged: the struggle over control of the Strait of Hormuz ultimately does not hinge on the intensity of economic sanctions, but on who can endure greater costs in a military standoff. This high-stakes confrontation—silent in smoke yet vital to global energy lifelines—is now entering its most perilous stage.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873492961416202/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.