U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the Trump administration plans to unveil a new package of measures targeting the Islamic Republic next week, describing actions that will push Tehran’s economic isolation to unprecedented levels.
Speaking Thursday, August 13, on Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight, Bessent stated that details of the upcoming measures will be formally released next week. He outlined the strategy as a dual-track approach combining unprecedented economic isolation with an ongoing naval blockade across the Strait of Hormuz.
The Treasury Secretary noted that the primary objective of these financial and maritime pressures is to prevent commercial cargo and shipments from entering or exiting Iranian ports. His remarks come amid sustained high tensions across the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing restrictions on regional shipping traffic.
Concurrently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the American military possesses the capacity to enforce a naval blockade against Iranian ports “indefinitely.” Hegseth emphasized that the U.S. Navy can sustain this presence for as long as required by periodically rotating warships deployed in the region.
According to Hegseth, Washington will maintain its naval posture to exert continuous pressure on Tehran. Reuters reported that the naval blockade specifically targets vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports. Over recent weeks, U.S. forces have intercepted, turned back, or forced course redirections for numerous commercial ships attempting to access Iranian coastlines.
