Amid growing war with Iran, US Treasury secretary says Trump is ‘weakening the Iranian regime’

“What we have is a security illusion. Imagine if this regime had another year or two to build up their missile capabilities. They would build a shield around themselves and it would be impossible to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon,” Bessant said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” television program.

Alo

“There is no prosperity without security, and all we had before was the illusion of security. Thanks to President Trump’s decisive actions, our world is now a safer place,” Bessant wrote on X.

He also said Trump was using “the only language Iranians understand” by threatening to destroy the country’s power plants unless Tehran fully opens the Strait of Hormuz, which has been a bone of contention on both sides of the war.

He further said Trump would take “all measures” to achieve his goals in the war with Iran. The secretary was asked about comments last week that Trump was considering “ending” military operations and whether the president was now escalating the conflict.

“They are not mutually exclusive,” Bessant said. “Sometimes you have to level up to downgrade.”

The death toll caused by the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 people in Israel, 13 people in the US military, as well as a large number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people have been displaced in Lebanon and Iran.