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

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday that the US intends to "collapse this [the Iranian] regime" by increasing economic pressure on Iran. He stated, "we are going to squash the economy of this murderous regime," echoing President Donald Trump's earlier declaration of an "ECONOMIC D-DAY" for Iran. Bessent warned that any US allies continuing business with Iran, including transferring money or buying oil, would face the "full might and force" of the US government. He asserted the effectiveness of this strategy, citing Venezuela and Cuba as precedents, and claimed the US controls the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed Trump's comments as a diversion from US domestic financial issues.