US 'suffocating' Iran with blockade, claims Treasury chief

Published
0

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed that the United States is “suffocating” Iran’s leadership through an “economic blockade” launched alongside the US military offensive, reports AFP.

“This began with the order last March from President Trump on max pressure, and three weeks ago the president gave the order to Treasury … to begin Economic Fury,” Bessent said in a Fox News interview, referring to his department’s initiative to supplement the Pentagon’s “Operation Epic Fury.”

“We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers. This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government — all hands on deck,” he told the ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ programme.

Opinion

Editorial

Yemen offensive
Updated 04 Oct, 2026

Yemen offensive

The best option, therefore, is for Muslim and Arab states to help restore the Saudi-Houthi ceasefire.
Growth transition
04 Oct, 2026

Growth transition

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent call to move from stabilisation to growth, job creation and export ...
Protection at risk
04 Oct, 2026

Protection at risk

THE recent warning from UNHCR should alarm donor governments. Nearly 8.3m refugees and other forcibly displaced...
Talks, at last
Updated 03 Oct, 2026

Talks, at last

The government’s constant threats to suspend KP’s elected dispensation over a political protest have escalated hostilities considerably. In that context, both sides did well to start talking.
IWT’s future
Updated 03 Oct, 2026

IWT’s future

TOGETHER with the Kashmir dispute, India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty has become the biggest...
Pained minds
03 Oct, 2026

Pained minds

IN Pakistan, mental healthcare is wedged between two extremes — a luxury or a stigma. Estimates cited by the...