Scott Bessent

Middle East conflicts, energy supplies, to dominate IMF-World Bank meetings in Thailand

The US-Israeli-led war with Iran, now in its eighth month, and the inflation and hardship it has caused will dominate the agenda and sideline conversations during the annual meeting.

International Monetary Fund logo is seen outside the headquarters building during the IMF/World Bank spring meeting in Washington, US, April 20, 2018.
The national flags of Pakistan and Iran flutter outside the President House in Islamabad on June 22, 2026 on the eve of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Pakistan amid the US-Iran peace talks.

Pakistani defense company, CEO, among entities sanctioned by US over alleged support to Iran regime

Logan Paul (L) and Jake Paul (R) visit the Pentagon to speak with US troops, September 20, 2026.

Influencer Jake Paul calls for amended US Constitution, says civilians should be able to bear RPGs

An Airbus A310-304 aircraft of Iranian airliner Mahan Air sits on the tarmac after landing at Sanaa International Airport in the Yemeni capital on March 1, 2015; Illustrative.

Iranian airlines to be cut off from global system as US Treasury announces secondary sanctions


US can still strike Hormuz targets, Hegseth warns as 'Economic D-Day' takes aim at Iran's economy

"By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran," Hegseth told reporters.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump's FY2027 budget request for the Department of Defense on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, April 30, 2026.

US Treasury announces 'Operation Economic Outcast' on Iran following warning of 'economic D-Day'

"It is now a time for world leaders to make a decision between prosperity and isolation, peace and terror, America and Iran," declared US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announces a new set of sanctions against Iran, describing them as "an economic D-Day", in the Cash Room at the Treasury Department on August 24, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Treasury Secretary Bessent says US entering 'endgame' with Iran, will sever economic lifelines

"Any remaining tie to Tehran will hasten the economic ostracism of countries and entities, whether that tie be purposefully constructed or wilfully ignored."

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, DC, US, August 20, 2026.

Trump says Iran 'would love' to make a deal with the US but isn't prepared to make the right one

Trump also said that the US had total control over the "entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz."

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, August 7, 2026

Treasury Secretary Bessent says US will 'squash' Iranian economy, collapse 'murderous regime'

"I see lots of reports that said, 'oh, well, this has never worked.' It does work, because we have a combination. It is a one-two punch," Bessent said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stands behind U.S. President Donald Trump who speaks to the media on the day of a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026.

US hits Hezbollah with fresh sanctions, emphasizing ties to Iranian government

The Treasury Department redesignated the group "for service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force," according to a statement.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah wave flags while commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, May 25, 2026.

US national debt tops $40 trillion for first time, doubled under presidents Trump, Biden

The federal government's IOU has now more than doubled in less than a decade, from $19.95 trillion when US President Donald Trump was sworn in for the first time in January 2017.

The US Department of the Treasury Building in Washington, DC, US, July 11, 2026.

US imposes sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane, Treasury Department confirms

The sanctions freeze any US assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the US financial system, with which almost all internationally operating banks have close ties.

Judge Tomoko Akane arrives prior to the announcement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) verdict that sentenced Malian Jihadist police chief Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud to 10 years in jail for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent says US to apply measures 'never seen before' on Iran

"It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out," Bessent said.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks next to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2026.

Senators press Rubio, Bessent on lack of counter-evasion sanctions on Russia

The US last imposed major sanctions on Russia in October 2025, when the Treasury Department targeted Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil.

(File Photo) Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent arrive before US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla participate in an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026.