Trump unleashes ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ against Iran as Bessent warns nations not to do business: ‘Tighten the noose’

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the start of the “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign against Iran to “tighten the noose” around the regime and warned countries against doing business with Tehran.

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The Trump admin aims to choke off revenue streams to the Iranian regime by pressuring secondary countries to stop doing oil, energy and business deals with Tehran.

Bessent revealed that President Trump has been burning the phone lines with world leaders with specific demands and stressed that America “does not have infinite patience” for those countries to comply.

“The president is making phone calls to world leaders with specific requests to cease their interactions with the regime. We are already seeing results,” Bessent said, without naming any specific countries.

As the six-month old war with Iran has dragged on, the Trump admin has sought has teased an “Economic D-Day” approach.

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As an example, Bessent warned that countries have been told to shutter Bank Melli branches within their borders, referring to the largest government-owned commercial bank in Iran.

Bessent said the operation will “foreclose every other option available,” calling it a “zero leakage approach” that will ensure the regime will have “no minimal breathing space” to rebuild.

“Iran now faces a very clear choice, with only two paths before them: complete global isolation and a subsistence economy, or a path back to normalcy with an opportunity to rejoin the global economy,” he said.

The Treasury secretary teased a wave of sanctions after his press conference and that a major financial institution will be sanctioned by the end of this week, calling his approach “economic asphyxiation.”

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