U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said no country should support the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia, and that Washington has extensive talks with any side that supports Tehran.

In an interview with Larry Kudlow, the host of Fox Business, on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers meeting in Asheville in the U.S. state of North Carolina, Bessent said that airlines, the shipping sector, and digital assets can be targeted within the framework of sanctions related to Tehran. He added that the United States will systematically remove “destabilizing forces” from the scene.

Regarding the G20 meeting, Bessent called China’s failure to attend “regrettable.” In another part of his remarks, he said that the Islamic Republic is trying to use the Strait of Hormuz as a choke point.

He said the strait is not a choke point for the United States, but for many other countries it plays such a role.

He added that with the expansion of land pipeline routes for transferring oil, the Strait of Hormuz could be bypassed within the next two years, and this waterway would lose its current importance as one of the main routes for energy transport.