Bessent Says Sanctions Goal Is to Force Iran Back to Negotiating Table

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 31 that the objective of Washington's expanding sanctions campaign against Iran is 'to create the conditions that they will want to come to the table' for talks, days after unveiling the sweeping 'Economic D-Day' sanctions targeting Iran's digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors. Iran's government responded by vowing to 'stand firm' against the fresh sanctions and what it called US-Israeli 'conspiracies.'

Why this matters. The remarks come the same day as a US-Iran military exchange near Hormuz, indicating Washington is pairing renewed strikes with economic pressure rather than opening a parallel diplomatic track.