US Treasury chief: Iran’s "zero-sum" strategy will fail

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington will intensify financial pressure on Iran, saying the country will “lose the zero-sum game it is playing” as tensions between the two sides continue to escalate.

In a post on X, Bessent said any damage inflicted by Iran on U.S. allies in the Gulf would be met with economic retaliation, stating that costs would be covered through “funds extracted from Iranian accounts.”

He also said that any tolls paid to Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority would similarly be offset by deductions from Iranian-held assets.

“Every attack Iran launches will only deepen the economic and financial consequences it faces,” Bessent added.

By Aghakazim Guliyev