US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has threatened to shut down Iranian airlines from tomorrow by preventing airports from refuelling their aircraft, providing landing services or selling tickets.
Bessent issued the warning in what represents the latest verbal escalation between Washington and Tehran, despite reported diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the ongoing US-Iran conflict and concerns over rising energy prices.
“How do we do that? That if they land, you cannot provide them with fuel. You cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,” Bessent told CNBC.
The warning comes as expectations grow that this week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York could provide an opportunity for progress towards peace between the United States and Iran.
Those hopes followed reports that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian would lead his country’s delegation to the UN gathering.
News of Iran’s planned participation initially contributed to a decline in oil prices last week and on Monday, although the benchmarks later reversed their losses, which energy analysts attributed largely to short-covering.
Despite the diplomatic expectations surrounding the UN gathering, Bessent’s remarks indicate that Washington intends to maintain pressure on Tehran.
The Treasury Secretary said the United States was pressuring Iran “like never before”, signalling that economic measures would remain part of Washington’s approach to the conflict.
His comments also followed remarks by President Donald Trump over the weekend, in which he said the war could only end by “wiping Iran out,” or allowing its economy to “rot”, according to a Fox News interview.
Meanwhile, Iran has warned that it expects an imminent US attack involving allied countries and vowed to respond forcefully if such an assault takes place.
“If the U.S. makes any mistake against the Islamic Republic of Iran, all its positions and interests in the region will be targeted by sustained, effective and painful attacks,” Iran’s central military command said in a statement.
