Washington Initiates ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ to Target Iran’s Financial Supporters

Published on 24/08/2026 – 21:11 GMT+2•Updated 21:13

The United States has rolled out what it calls “Operation Economic Outcast,” targeting Iran’s financial networks as Washington aims to cut off Tehran’s revenue streams amid the continuing conflict.

During a Monday press briefing, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled an unprecedented campaign against Iran and its facilitators, labeling it an economic onslaught designed to isolate the Iranian government.

“Treasury has identified every node, facilitator, and network Iran employs to smuggle oil and evade sanctions,” he stated. “Starting today, Treasury and allied agencies will tighten the noose and cut off every possible revenue source that funds the IRGC and the Iranian regime.”

“Any entity that assists Iran in money laundering will be excluded from the U.S. dollar system,” he added.

President Trump is now reaching out to unspecified world leaders, urging them to cease dealings with Iran, Bessent noted.

As part of the initiative, the Treasury Department announced on Monday that it had issued determinations against five key sectors—digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping—that Iran exploits to prop up its struggling economy.

Looking ahead, Bessent said Iran now faces a stark choice.

“Either complete global isolation and a subsistence economy, or a return to normalcy with the chance to rejoin the global marketplace,” he said.

Tehran’s Decision

Bessent’s warning arrives roughly six months after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran ignited the regional conflict, which the Trump administration says is intended to prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The fighting has largely stalled in recent months, with negotiations breaking down and an intensifying dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

This vital waterway, a crucial oil and gas chokepoint linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, remains a central sticking point in talks between Washington and Tehran, each asserting sovereignty over the passage.

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