US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that countries that continue their financial and commercial relations with the Islamic Republic must choose between cooperation with Tehran and maintaining access to the United States and the global financial system.

Bessent wrote in an article in the Financial Times that the Trump administration intends, by cutting off the Islamic Republic’s financial and commercial lifelines, to place Tehran and institutions cooperating with it in complete economic isolation. He announced a new phase of pressure and said Washington is now seeking to complete the military pressure with a broad attack on the Islamic Republic’s financial and commercial resources.

The US Treasury Secretary said some countries continue to buy and transport Iran’s oil and facilitate the transfer of Tehran’s funds through exchange houses and free trade zones. He warned that continuing this cooperation could jeopardize their access to capital and global markets.

Bessent added that if the Islamic Republic takes military action against US forces or the Gulf countries, Trump will respond “quickly and decisively.”