Bessent: Iran Goal 'Can Be' Regime Collapse, Uprising, or Deal

On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the goal with Iran “can be one of three states of the world:” The members of the regime turning on each other, an uprising, or a deal.

Bessent said, “So, we had six weeks of kinetic activity, we have the blockade, and now we have an effort never seen before, in terms of constricting and cutting off the financial oxygen to them. And I don’t know whether it’s going to be a week, a month, or two months, but they are going to yell uncle.”

He continued, “And the goal here can be one of three states of the world: One, the regime turns on each other. Not impossible. Two, we get some kind of uprising from the Iranian people. They’ve probably killed 50,000 of their own population, so very difficult. And then three, to get the Iranians, if they want to make a deal, to stick to the deal. As President Trump said at the beginning of August, he didn’t think the Iranians were ready for a deal. We gave the MOU a try on June 3, and then the Iranians, a few weeks later, began firing on ships in the strait and being very aggressive. And this time, if there is a deal, I guarantee you, they’re going to stick with it.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett