Baghdad: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bisent stated on Thursday that the Iranian people are struggling to meet their basic needs while the Iranian regime continues to squander vast sums abroad. Bisent added in a post on the X platform that the Iranian regime “should spend billions of dollars on its terrorist proxies instead of funneling them to its own people.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Bisent’s remarks come amid Washington’s escalation of economic pressure on Tehran, including expanding sanctions on networks linked to Iran and tightening measures aimed at isolating its economy from the global financial system.

Furthermore, Iranian Vice President for Executive Affairs Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports has begun to prevent the country from importing fuel at a time when domestic production is insufficient to meet demand.