U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Washington is getting ready to squeeze Iran with unprecedented economic pressure, a claim critics greeted with skepticism given the country is already subject to a naval blockade and thousands of sanctions.

While the Trump administration hasn¡¯t said what it¡¯s planning to do, there are still pressure points that Bessent¡¯s Treasury Department could hit. The main challenge is that targeting the remaining options risk blowback on the U.S. economy.?

¡°Unless the president decides to prioritize addressing the Iran threat over all other issues, and namely China, it¡¯s unlikely any action they take is going to materially change Iran¡¯s calculus,¡± Bloomberg Economics analyst Chris Kennedy said.