The U.S. will be applying economic measures “that have never been seen on Iran,” according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“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 of the Iranian ports,” Bessent said in an interview with Newsmax, without elaborating further.
His statements come as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly said late Thursday stateside that the U.S. military can keep a naval blockade of Iran going “indefinitely.” The Navy will rotate ships in and out “as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth told reporters.
Media reports have said that the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington was headed to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for over 250 days in the Middle East. Its deployment had been expected to end in May.