Washington: The United States has announced further intensification of economic pressure against Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announced the launch of “Operation Economic Outcast” on Monday, saying that Washington is moving forward with a campaign to restrict Iran’s global financial connections. According to the US Treasury Department, the campaign aims to cut off significant economic and financial support to the Iranian government.
Besant told reporters in Washington that institutions and countries with economic ties with Iran will also face the threat of US sanctions. He made it clear that Washington wants to limit the sources of financial resources for Iran.
According to the US Treasury Secretary, various sectors related to Iran’s income and financial activities will be targeted under the new campaign. The latest measures also include digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and maritime activities.
Besant warned parties doing business with Iran that Washington could extend the scope of sanctions to entities that continue financial or trade activities with Tehran. According to him, the United States will use its economic influence to limit Iran’s global financial access.
The US Treasury Department has already taken several measures against Iran’s financial and trade networks. On August 7 this month, US authorities targeted networks in various countries that were accused of transferring hundreds of millions of dollars to Iran through the informal banking system.
Washington also imposed sanctions on financial and procurement networks related to Iran in June. According to the US Treasury Department, these measures targeted procurement networks linked to Iran’s missile and defense programs.
In the latest announcement, Besant linked economic pressure on Iran to the broader context of negotiations and war. He said that the US wants to increase pressure on Tehran through economic measures so that Iran changes its behavior.
The Iranian economy has already been facing difficulties related to US sanctions, limited global financial access and oil trade for a long time. The new US campaign is likely to further affect Iran’s foreign trade relations and financial transactions.
The effects of this development are unlikely to be limited to Iran. Foreign companies and financial institutions doing business with Iran may also face the risk of US sanctions. In particular, pressure on businesses related to banking, oil, shipping and digital assets may increase.
On the other hand, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is also the center of global attention due to the increase in tensions between Iran and the US. This passage is an important sea route for global energy supply. Therefore, any major economic or security measures related to Iran could have an impact on global oil prices and trade.
It is clear from the US announcement that Washington is moving towards further expanding its policy of economic pressure against Tehran. However, the actual results of this campaign will depend on the extent to which Iran’s major trading partners and global businesses change their policies in response to the pressure of US sanctions.
