WANA (Aug 20) – The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Thursday against individuals and entities linked to Iran, Hezbollah, Russia and Cuba, as Washington continues to emphasize economic pressure as a key element of its policy toward Tehran.

 

According to the sanctions list released by the Treasury Department, three of the designated individuals are linked to Iran, all of whom are Turkish nationals. Seven others were sanctioned for their alleged links to Hezbollah, including one Iranian national.

 

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Washington may not need to resume a large-scale military confrontation with Iran if economic pressure proves effective.

 

“If we apply maximum economic pressure, we probably won’t see a resumption of widespread military operations,” Bessent said.

 

The U.S. Treasury secretary also said Washington, together with its allies, would impose additional sanctions on Iran. Oil prices rose following Bessent’s remarks to CNBC.

 

His comments came as Tehran has repeatedly maintained that economic pressure and military threats are part of the same U.S. policy toward Iran and that it will not back down in response to such pressure.

 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei had previously said that the consequences of the U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran had demonstrated to regional countries and the international community that Washington’s military presence in West Asia itself contributes to regional insecurity.

 

Baghaei also described the United States as an “unreliable” actor, arguing that Washington’s threats of military action, including against its closest allies, had further undermined its credibility.

 

The Iranian spokesman also stressed that Iranian society had demonstrated strong national cohesion in the face of foreign aggression, saying that no pressure or external plot could divert Iranians from defending their country’s interests and national security.