Bessent says Iran has long calculated American enforcement as negotiable while its own retaliation is certain.
“For decades, this regime has drawn strength from a calculus that regards Iranian retaliation as certain and American enforcement as negotiable.”
Bessent argues Treasury's credibility with secondary sanctions depends on not taking their use lightly.
“And in the terrorism finance department and in OFAC, the reason we are able to use secondary sanctions is because we do not take their use lightly.”
Bessent cites 2026 strategy identifying far-left terrorists as one of three major U.S. threats.
“The 2026 U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy identifies violent far-left terrorist groups as one of the three major terrorist threats facing the United States today.”