Economic siege and isolation: Washington warns of 'historic' measures against Iran

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday in a television interview that the United States will impose "unprecedented" measures against Iran.

Bessent added in a television interview: "Expect more announcements next week, because we will implement measures unlike anything seen in the history of economic isolation imposed on any country."

He continued: "It will be a mix of economic isolation never before witnessed by the world, and the continuation of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, preventing anything from entering or leaving Iranian ports."

Meanwhile, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, "We have coordinated with every ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz and we know the exact number that passes daily."

The American official stated, "Iran is trying to intimidate its neighbors, but its strategy is failing, and this will lead to the collapse of its regime."

President Donald Trump had hinted at his plans to economically choke Iran, telling Axios during the weekend: "We are handling the matter calmly and quietly; negotiations with them are only partial, and we are content to monitor Iran under the backdrop of massive inflation rates and the fact that it lacks money."

On Friday, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted individuals and foreign exchange and commercial companies in several countries, accusing them of helping Iran's "Shahr Bank" secretly transfer hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Treasury Department said these sanctions are the eighth of their kind in 2026 targeting what is alleged to be an Iranian parallel banking system (shadow banking network), as part of Washington's "maximum pressure" campaign.