US Will Hit Iran Economically In Ways 'That Have Never Been Seen' Next Week: 'One-Two Punch'

The Trump administration is preparing a fresh wave of economic measures against Iran next week that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent characterized as unprecedented in scope, according to comments made during a Thursday night interview with Newsmax.

"Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," Bessent said.

The Treasury Department is spearheading Operation Economic Fury, a financial campaign paired with the Pentagon's Operation Epic Fury. Bessent cited earlier US economic pressure as contributing to severe inflation in Iran and fueling large-scale protests in December and January.

The administration has already targeted Iranian revenue sources through measures against money changers, cryptocurrency networks, and other financial channels. These efforts have accompanied President Trump's naval blockade, which has reduced Iranian oil exports substantially.

Bessent declined to specify which additional measures would be announced, citing legal restrictions on publicly disclosing sanctions before formal implementation.

"The kinetic war ended after several weeks, and we went from Epic Fury to Economic Fury. And at the president's orders, we have raised the level even again," He said.

Bessent contended that the administration's strategy differs from prior isolation attempts by combining financial pressure with direct constraints on Iran's international commerce capacity.

"I think the reason we are succeeding is because it is a one-two punch," Bessent said, contrasting the approach with long-running embargoes against other nations. He added that the combination would involve "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 of the Iranian ports."

The comments come as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have stalled. Bessent rejected Democratic assertions that Iran had strengthened under the US campaign, calling such claims "uninformed, deranged, and have no idea what they're talking about."