Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent talking with CNBC on Aug. 4th, 2026.
CNBC
The U.S. will doubtless be applying financial measures “that have never been seen on Iran,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged.
“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 acknowledged in a Newsmax interview Thursday evening, without elaborating extra.
As the militia war in Iran appears to be like mired in a strategic stalemate — with online page traffic via the strait constrained by threats and few hints of any diplomatic resolution rising — the Trump administration is ratcheting up its rhetorical drive.
President Donald Trump claimed Friday that after the U.S. defeats Iran, “pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”
Trump, who within the previous has approvingly cited the phrase “to the victor belong the spoils,” has beforehand floated the probability that the U.S. might perhaps per chance try to impose tolls within the strait once the war ends, though he later dropped that concept. The strait became once an originate, un-tolled international waterway earlier than the U.S. and Israel began the battle in late February by launching strikes against Iran.
Bessent’s comments to Newsmax came as U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly acknowledged late Thursday that the militia might perhaps per chance assist 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 newshounds.
Media reports comprise acknowledged that the U.S. airplane provider USS George Washington became once headed to interchange the usAbraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for greater than 250 days within the Center East. Its deployment had been expected to full in Might per chance.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) sails within the abet of the Nimitz-class airplane provider USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), June 27, 2026. Frank E. Petersen Jr. is deployed to the U.S. 5th Snappy space of operations to augment maritime security and stability within the Center East.
Courtesy: U.S. Navy
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After Hegseth’s comments, Salvage. Mike Levin, D-Calif., acknowledged on X that he had despatched a letter to Hegseth and acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to particular serious considerations about stipulations aboard the Lincoln.
“The reports coming from military families and loved ones about the conditions aboard the USS Lincoln are simply unacceptable. Reports include concerns of moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water, lack of access to fresh produce, and supply shortages,” the letter acknowledged.
Sailors and Marines are furthermore acknowledged to comprise an “overwhelming workload,” which is contributing to “extreme fatigue and burnout,” it acknowledged.
In a put up on X, U.S. Central Reveal acknowledged that reports alleging a brawl aboard the provider had been wrong, and that no carrier members comprise died.
This came after Iranian media claimed on Tuesday that seven U.S. Navy personnel were killed and several wounded “in a violent clash” on the Lincoln.
