Bessent says new measures against Iran coming next week

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration will announce new economic measures against Iran next week, signaling a further escalation of Washington’s campaign to isolate Tehran financially.

“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week,” Bessent said Thursday during an interview on Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight.” He said the United States would apply measures unprecedented in the history of the economic isolation of a country.

Bessent did not identify the prospective targets or say whether the measures would include new sanctions, expanded enforcement of existing restrictions or additional pressure on countries and companies doing business with Iran.

He described the administration’s approach as combining heightened economic isolation with the continued blockade of Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz.

The announcement would extend a pressure campaign that has targeted Iran’s oil exports, shipping operations, financial intermediaries and sanctions-evasion networks. In July, the Treasury Department sanctioned more than 50 people, companies and vessels associated with a shipping network it said generated revenue for the Iranian government.

The precise scope and timing of the forthcoming measures remain subject to an official Treasury announcement.