US Tells Allies to Back Iran Squeeze or Face Consequences
The US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told America’s partners they must choose whether they are “with us or against us” and back plans to crush Iran’s economy. It sharpens President Trump’s threat of secondary sanctions on any country whose banks or businesses give Tehran a “lifeline”. Iranian oil exports have already collapsed to below 300,000 barrels a day, and a US waiver allowing some trade expires tomorrow. Iran dismissed the pressure as “delusions”.
The ultimatum turns the economic war on Iran into a loyalty test for allies and rivals alike, and its bluntness, framed as a choice of sides, leaves little room for the quiet hedging many governments prefer. The weapon is real: secondary sanctions can shut firms out of the dollar system, a threat few can ignore. But enforcing a global embargo without United Nations backing is another matter, and China and Russia, Iran’s biggest remaining partners, have every reason to help Tehran evade it. Brent crude climbed again on the tension, towards $94 a barrel. Whether Washington can make the threat bite, or merely drives Iran’s trade further underground, is the open question. Watch how Beijing responds and where oil goes next.