Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent introduced sweeping new sanctions Thursday on senior Iranian officers and regime-linked monetary networks, saying Tehran’s ruling elite are “rats fleeing the ship” as they frantically wire tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in another country amid mounting unrest.
On the route of President Donald Trump, Bessent stated the Treasury Division is sanctioning key Iranian leaders concerned within the brutal crackdown on protesters, whereas transferring to choke off the regime’s sanctions-evasion pipelines used to launder proceeds from Iranian petroleum and petrochemical gross sales.
In a video launched Thursday on X alongside the sanctions announcement, Bessent stated his message was directed to Iran’s management “on behalf of the individuals of Iran, who can not converse for themselves,” earlier than laying out how the administration anticipated — and accelerated — the regime’s collapse.
“Final March, we predicted that President Trump’s most strain marketing campaign towards the Iranian regime would speed up an financial collapse,” Bessent stated. “Since then, our sanctions efforts have been efficient in slashing oil exports and slicing income.”
Bessent stated Iran’s forex and residing circumstances are actually in freefall and the regime has burned by means of what stays of the financial system with mismanagement, reckless subsidies, and value controls, whereas the central financial institution is successfully broke and printing cash — pushing the nation towards hyperinflation.
Fairly than stabilizing the nation, Bessent stated, the Islamic Republic has “chosen to squander what stays of the nation’s oil revenues on nuclear weapons growth, missiles, and terrorist proxies world wide,” as Iranians rightfully protest financial collapse and systemic corruption.
Treasury’s Workplace of Overseas Property Management (OFAC) stated it’s sanctioning the “architects” of the regime’s violent repression, together with the shadow banking networks Tehran makes use of to steal, transfer, and launder state income overseas.
Amongst these designated is Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for Nationwide Safety, a senior regime determine who helped coordinate the nationwide crackdown and publicly referred to as for violence towards demonstrators.
Iranian Secretary of Supreme Nationwide Safety Council Ali Larijani, speaks throughout a press convention after his assembly with the Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, August 13, 2025. (AP Picture/Bilal Hussein)
Treasury additionally sanctioned senior provincial safety commanders tied to significantly brutal crackdowns, whereas designating 18 people and entities that play essential roles in laundering proceeds from Iranian oil and petrochemical gross sales — cash the division stated fuels repression at house and terror operations overseas.
“These sanctions goal the regime’s evasion networks and corrupt elites who enrich themselves on the expense of common Iranians,” Bessent stated, stressing that Iran’s pure assets “belong to the Iranian individuals — not their brutal dictators.”
Bessent additionally underscored President Trump’s newly introduced 25 % tariff on nations that proceed doing enterprise with Iran, warning that international governments and corporations nonetheless propping up the regime will face penalties.
“Our message to the Iranian individuals is evident,” Bessent stated. “Your calls for are legit. You might be protesting for a noble trigger, and america helps you.”
“Our message to Iran’s leaders can also be clear,” he added. “U.S. Treasury is aware of that — like rats fleeing a sinking ship — you’re frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian households to banks and monetary establishments world wide. Relaxation assured, we are going to monitor them and also you.”
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