--- title: "Hegseth says economic pressure hurts Iranian regime 'the most'" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296827909.md" description: "US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that economic pressure is currently the most effective tool against Iran, though military strikes remain an option. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced 'Operation Economic Outcast,' warning nations to sever financial ties with Iran or face exclusion from the US dollar system. Iranian officials dismissed these threats, claiming trading partners ignore US statements. Meanwhile, the US claims control over the Strait of Hormuz, having redirected and disabled several vessels since resuming a naval blockade." datetime: "2026-08-24T20:49:20.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296827909.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296827909.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296827909.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Hegseth says economic pressure hurts Iranian regime 'the most' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that the Trump administration’s economic pressure on Iran is hurting the regime “the most right now,” but did not rule out the U.S. military resuming airstrikes if necessary. “If we need to use kinetic strikes, we’ll use them. If Iran is foolish enough to overplay their hand or mess with the with the American military, we’ll do what we need to do,” Hegseth told reporters in Oshkosh, Wis. as part of the Pentagon’s “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. “But economic pressure, hurts them the most right now.” The Pentagon chief’s remarks came hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previewed the U.S. new economic pressure campaign against Tehran as the conflict has reached a stalemate after six months of hostilities. Bessent warned countries to cut off any financial ties with Iran or risk being cut off from the U.S. dollar system, discussing the new “Operation Economic Outcast,” but offering few specifics. “Well, we are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior, why would I want to blow up the global financial system?” Bessent told a reporter when asked about specifics. The Treasury secretary said that President Trump is dialing world leaders and that officials at the State Department, the Pentagon and Treasury are connecting with their counterparts, asking them to cut ties with Iran. “I would expect that very quickly, if they do not respond, then you will see the ramifications of their actions,” Bessent said. Iran’s Parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, fired back Monday at the U.S. over the rollout of the economic pressure campaign. “Americans know that no one buys their bombast; the United States is not in an economic position to further restrict its relations with other countries,” Qalibaf said on social platform X. “Iran’s trading partners, both in the media and through messages sent to us, have made it clear that they don’t take these statements into account anywhere,” he said. “More economic pressure only ensures that Iran really has – the only choice they have is to come to the table and actually talk about their nuclear program, which is what the president has demanded,” Hegseth said. The defense secretary touted the U.S. naval blockade and claimed that the U.S. controls the Strait of Hormuz. “Iran can’t run anything through; we can. The world economy realizes that, and so they made a big bet on controlling it, and they can’t,” Hegseth told reporters. Five vessels crossed the strait on Sunday, lower than 25 successful crossings on Saturday and 21 on Friday, according to ship-tracking firm Kpler. The U.S. military has redirected 71 commercial ships, disabled three and boarded another two since resuming the naval blockade in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said in an update on Monday. Over 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid have been allowed to pass. “Ultimately, their economy is in a spiral. They also know that we control the Strait of Hormuz, that our blockade is ironclad, and that oil is flowing through, ultimately,” Hegseth said. ## Related News & Research - [Iran warns vessels violating Hormuz transit rules of fines, detention](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296749749.md) - [Iran official says support for new sanctions would be an 'act of war,' and other Middle East news](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296762107.md) - [Trump issues 'unprecedented' threat to Iran — and any nation that helps the regime](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296486008.md) - [Trump Threatens “Tremendous” Consequences for Countries Helping Iran](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296478182.md) - [Egypt speaks with Iran after Tehran claims victory, and other Middle East developments](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296688049.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**