Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took to X on Thursday to call out Iran's government for funneling billions of dollars to terrorist proxies abroad while its own citizens struggle to afford basic necessities. It's part of Washington's escalating economic pressure campaign against Tehran, and Bessent didn't mince words.

'The Regime Should Spend That Money For Its People'

"Instead of funneling billions of dollars to its terrorist proxies, the regime should spend that money for its people," Bessent said in a post on X, calling the country's regime "corrupt."

The Iranian rial has been in freefall, hitting a record low this month. At the time of writing, you'd need roughly 1.37 million rials to buy a single dollar. That's a stark illustration of the economic strain on ordinary Iranians.

Part of a Broader 'Economic D-Day' Campaign

Bessent's latest salvo comes on the heels of his declaration of "economic D-Day" on Iran last week. He called it "the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary" and said the goal was to "sever every economic lifeline" sustaining the regime.

This follows Trump's threat of "the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country," warning that nations maintaining financial ties to Tehran would face severe consequences.

The Treasury has also sanctioned nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels tied to Iran's nuclear, missile, cyber, and oil networks under a campaign dubbed "economic outcast."

Iran Pushes Back As Tensions Continue

Iran isn't taking this lying down. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused the U.S. of "annihilating" international law and called the campaign "systemic bullying."

The pressure is clearly working, though. Iranian oil loadings have fallen to just 248,000 barrels a day in August, down sharply from 1.85 million barrels a day in March and April, according to Kpler.

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have discussed a framework for a temporary navigational corridor through the Strait of Hormuz and agreed to work on clearing mines from the waterway, Reuters reported. Trump, for his part, said on Tuesday that all mines in the strait's international waters had already been removed or detonated.

Earlier this week, Trump told Al Jazeera he has "no time schedule" for Iran to return to talks, saying "we are winning very big."

Image via Shutterstock/ Maxim Elramsisy