US Treasury has begun ‘unprecedented campaign’ of sanctions against Iran ‘and its enablers’, says Bessent
In his remarks, Bessent says that today, at Donald Trump’s direction, the United States Treasury “has begun Operation Economic Outcast”, which he described as an “unprecedented campaign” against Iran “and its enablers”.
“We are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” he said. “Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”
Key events
New poll shows record low support for war in Iran
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that public approval for the war with Iran has dropped to its lowest level since the conflict’s early days at the end of February. Now, only 31% of Americans surveyed support military action in Iran, which is down from 34% earlier this month.
Notably, fewer Americans who identify as Republican support the war, according to the poll. That number now sits at 69%, compared to 77% in March.
This comes at a time when Donald Trump’s own approval rating hovers at a new low of 33%, according to recent polling.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
Scott Bessent announced today that the US has begun an “unprecedented” sanctions campaign against Iran “and its enablers”. A number of countries stand to face secondary sanctions, according to the treasury secretary. However, he did not say whether those, like China or Russia, would be impacted. He also did not set out a timeline for those countries to end doing business with Iran. “We know who they are, they know who they are, so when the hammer of US treasury actions falls upon them they will have no one to blame but themselves,” Bessent said, describing the new wave of sanctions as “economic asphyxiation” of the Iranian regime and “no one should test our resolve”.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts and steel to 50% today, after trade negotiations between Washington and Ottowa broke down last week. On Truth Social, the US president blasted Canada and said the new duties will go into effect on 1 January 2027. “On Trade, and in other ways, also, they are among the worst Nations in the World to deal with. They feel entitled, and yet, WE DON’T NEED CANADA, THEY NEED US!” Trump wrote. This escalation comes after Canadian prime minister Mark Carney rejected the latest deal on Saturday, after Trump previously slapped a 50% tariff on $20bn worth of Canadian exports – ranging from hockey equipment to electronics.
In response, Mark Carney told reporters on Monday that Trump’s announcement was largely expected. “It’s not a surprise for us that the US would take some form of reprisal to our response to their unjustified tariff, which was on top of other unjustified tariffs,” he said from Quebec. “But what message does that send to the workers in Michigan, in Ohio, in Kentucky, in Alabama, who rely on Canadian demand?” he continued. “We’re their largest customer for automobiles, more than the European Union, Japan, Korea, many others combined, and the United Kingdom.”
Trump, however, continued a war of words with Ontario premier Doug Ford, who he said was displaying “a lot of bluster”. Trump called Ford the “less charismatic, intelligent, and overall unimpressive” version of his brother Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto. Earlier, the Ontario premier said that Canada must “throw everything and the kitchen sink” at the US in the wake of Trump’s tariff announcement. “I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he [Trump] has a lot of room to kiss my ass,” Ford told reporters on Monday.
Earlier, ahead of Trump announcing his latest threat to implement 50% tariffs on Canadian cars and auto parts, Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, said that Canada is ultimately responsible for the collapsed talks over the weekend to reach a deal on the duties between the two countries and longtime allies. “We set about to finalize it, and then in the last hours, I think there were things that the Canadians just – you know, they wanted more,” Greer said today in an interview with CNBC. “They wanted more and we weren’t prepared to do that.”
Donald Trump said there is “a lot of bluster” coming from Ontario premier Doug Ford, as the two engaged in a war of words on Monday.
The US president called Ford the “less charismatic, intelligent and overall unimpressive” version of his brother Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto.
Earlier today, Doug Ford said that Canada must “throw everything and the kitchen sink” at the US after Trump threatened to increase tariffs on Canadian auto parts and cars to 50%. “I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he [Trump] has a lot of room to kiss my ass,” Ford told reporters today.
“The red states – we’re gonna hit hard,” the premier said. “You think an insult from him [Trump] hurts me? Bring it on, buddy. You’re a loser.”
On Truth Social, Trump remained bullish. “America has been carrying Canada for decades, but no longer! The U.S.A. will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada,” he wrote. “Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive – It’s where they get all of their money and, because of their current bad leadership, primarily Governor Carney, and his Flunky, Ford, they will not be allowed to keep taking advantage of the United States – Their key to survival.”
By referring to Mark Carney, the prime minister of Canada, as a “governor”, Trump continues to brand the country as a “state” in the US. Earlier, in Maine, vice-president JD Vance repeated a similar posture.
“Remember, much of the Electricity, Oil, and Gas that Canada gets is transported through the U.S.A. Someone should get these clowns to “fall in line” or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!” Trump added.
Joseph Gedeon
All US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by Donald Trump’s administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.
Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”.
USCIS is inside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has led the president’s immigration crackdown during his second term. The processing of asylum claims has largely ground to a halt during Trump’s administration, leaving many seeking asylum in limbo.
“All FDNS IOs [immigration officers] have been reassigned full-time to one of two high-priority USCIS initiatives (South African refugee screening and unlawful voter screening),” an internal message, sent on Monday, said. “Because of this, we will not have the ability to assign IO’s [immigration officers] to the training portfolio for the near future.”
USCIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
FDNS is the USCIS unit responsible for detecting fraud and national security concerns in immigration benefit applications, including asylum claims. Its officers work with asylum offices to identify cases requiring further investigation, refer matters to law enforcement, and help asylum officers identify potential fraud and other red flags.
The reassignment marks a significant diversion of FDNS personnel. The message addresses only the agency’s ability to provide officers for asylum officer training; it does not say whether routine FDNS screening of pending asylum applications has also slowed or stopped.
A disruption to training would limit specialized instruction for asylum officers, and a broader slowdown in casework screening would have more direct consequences for pending applications. The Guardian has not independently confirmed whether routine asylum screening has been affected.
When asked why the US treasury department is not implementing sanctions immediately, Bessent said that it was to give nations who conduct business with Iran the “opportunity to remedy bad behavior”.
“Why would I want to blow up the global financial system?” he said. “We believe that it’s important to level set and give people a cure period. But they should know that will move very quickly, and that we are serious.”
Bessent evades questions about whether sweeping secondary sanctions will include China
Notably, during his press conference today, Scott Bessent didn’t specify which countries would be targeted by secondary sanctions, even when asked by reporters whether China – the largest importer of Iranian oil – would be impacted.
While Bessent said that “quiet diplomacy” is the best way to engage with countries who still maintain trade relationships with Iran, this latest move is an attempt to show that “no one is above” sanctions.
“We know who they are, they know who they are, so when the hammer of US treasury actions falls upon them they will have no one to blame but themselves,” Bessent said.
He described the new wave of sanctions as “economic asphyxiation” of the Iranian regime and “no one should test our resolve”.
The treasury secretary also said he would not “name names” about the world leaders that Donald Trump is in touch with when it comes to ending business with Iran.
Bessent also added: “I’m not going to set timelines, but we do not have infinite patience here.”
Bessent said that the sanctions will target “five of Iran’s most vital lifelines that it exploits in other countries – digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping.”
“As I speak, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is also sanctioning over 60 entities, individuals and vessels around the world that enable the Iranian regime to procure illicit nuclear and missile technology, conduct cyber operations, and generate oil revenue,” he said.
Bessent says that Iran faces two choices, “complete global isolation and a subsistence economy or a path back to normalcy with an opportunity to rejoin the global economy”.
“Treasury has mapped every node, every facilitator, and every network that Iran has used to smuggle oil and evade sanctions,” he added. “Beginning today, the actions of treasury and other agencies will tighten the noose and block every potential source of revenue that funds the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) and the evil Iranian regime.”
Later in his remarks, he warned: “Those who stand with the United States will reap the rewards of our partnership. Those who tether themselves to the Iranian regime should expect to share in the isolation of a withering regime.”
US Treasury has begun ‘unprecedented campaign’ of sanctions against Iran ‘and its enablers’, says Bessent
In his remarks, Bessent says that today, at Donald Trump’s direction, the United States Treasury “has begun Operation Economic Outcast”, which he described as an “unprecedented campaign” against Iran “and its enablers”.
“We are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe,” he said. “Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”
Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, is now delivering a press conference.
It comes a day after he wrote an Opinion Piece for the Financial Times, in which he warned that an “economic D-day is coming for Iran”.
During his remarks today at a manufacturing facility in Brewer, Maine, Vice President JD Vance referred to Canada “a state” before noting “sorry, Freudian slip” as the audience laughed.
Vance went on to critique Canada, saying that it is a “country that has underinvested in its military that quite literally would get invaded by a foreign country, were it not for the umbrella of protection provided by the United States of America”.
Since Trump’s return to the White House last year, Trump has discussed making Canada the US’s 51st state, which has enraged many Canadians. A petition to expel the US ambassador to Canada, accusing him of normalizing the notion of the US annexing Canada, has collected about 248,000 signatures.
Donald Trump accuses Democrats of putting out ‘fake polls’ as ‘demoralization operations’
In a new post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of putting out “fake polls” as “demoralization operations”.
“They’re putting them out at levels never seen before” Trump claimed, without providing evidence to back up his allegation. “They’re called ‘Demoralization Operations’ where they try to demoralize Republicans so that they don’t go out and vote.”
In the same post, he also claimed that “the actual Polls are tremendous, and the Spirit in our Country has never been higher.”
Vice-president JD Vance is speaking at a defense technology manufacturing facility in Brewer, Maine at the moment. As I noted earlier, Susan Collins – the Republican senator from Maine who is facing a competitive re-election race this year and criticized the faltered trade talks between the US and Canada, is not appearing alongside Vance today, with her campaign telling local media that she had a clashing commitment.
“Whenever I’m in Maine, I’ve got to give Susan a little bit of crap,” Vance said on stage today. “As you know Susan is the most independent member of the United States Senate, and as the president of the United States Senate she sometimes makes my job just a little bit harder.”
He added: “But she makes it harder, because she’s coming to work every day and fighting not for a political party or not for any abstraction. She comes to work every single day and fights for the great people of Maine … she tries to get as much good for this state out of Washington, and as little bad out of Washington for this state. Which, by the way, is a very hard job.”
Collins, who will face former state lawmaker Troy Jackson in November, is contending with a spike of anti-Trump animus going into the midterm elections. Democrats have sought to categorize her so-called “independence” and “moderation” as weak checks on the president’s agenda, often mocking her “concerns” about Trump’s hardline policies.
‘They wanted more and we weren’t prepared to do that’: US trade representatives blames Canada for collapsed talks
In an interview with CNBC ahead of Donald Trump announcing his latest threat to implement 50% tariffs on Canadian cars and auto parts, Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, said that Canada is ultimately responsible for the collapsed talks over the weekend to reach a deal on the duties between the two countries and longtime allies.
“We set about to finalize it, and then in the last hours, I think there were things that the Canadians just – you know, they wanted more,” Greer said today. “I don’t know if it was political for them. It certainly doesn’t make economic sense, but perhaps for political reasons … they wanted more and we weren’t prepared to do that.”
Republicans pushback on Trump policy to temporarily pause import tariffs on foreign beef
Following Donald Trump’s announcement that there would be a temporary pause on tariffs to allow for more than 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef to be imported to the US, a number of Republicans have pushed back on the latest trade policy – arguing that it stands to negatively impact American ranchers who are already feeling the burden of higher costs.
The president has said the move, announced on Friday, would “reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again”, however, several GOP lawmakers claim this is a short-term fix for a chronic problem, namely a 75-year low in US cattle supply.
“I absolutely want to see those prices come down,” said Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee in a competitive US Senate race in Iowa. “But I think this isn’t the way to do that.”
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Hinson added: “I think we need to focus on letting our cattle men grow their herd … it takes some time and it takes some resources, and so I think we should be letting market conditions to do what they do – demand for beef is still really high.”
Other Republicans in states with sizeable cattle farming industries also criticized the president’s recent decision. “Short term policy shifts do not equal long term solutions,” said Pete Ricketts, a GOP Senator from Nebraska and frequent ally of the Trump. “Flooding the market with lower quality beef compromises Nebraska farmers and ranchers. They should be enabled to grow herd sizes and meet consumer demand.”
Another Trump loyalist, Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, said that while the president’s “heart is in the right place on wanting lower prices for the American people”, the action would actually make it more difficult for American ranchers to rebuild their herd.
Aside from beef, other Republicans criticized the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with Canada over the weekend. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine who is facing a re-election battle this year, called the “on-again/off-again” trade talks between the US and Canada would lead to “higher costs, risk, and uncertainty” for businesses in Maine – which borders Canada.
“Ever since the tariffs were first announced, I have heard from many businesses, farmers, and lobstermen concerned about the cost of navigating the tariffs, the lack of domestic supply chains, and the likely imposition of retaliatory tariffs by Canada,” Collins said in a statement after trade talks broke down over the weekend, urging “both sides to return to the negotiating table”.
A reminder that the current tariff on Canadian automobiles and parts sits at 25%.
After the trade talks with the US collapsed over the weekend, Mark Carney vowed “dollar for dollar” retaliation on the initial round of 50% tariffs that went into force on Saturday.
“You’re at war when you’re attacked, and we got attacked,” the Canadian prime minister told reporters in Ottawa. “We cannot accept what they’ve offered and we will not give what they’ve asked.”
Earlier, Carney said that “last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any deal”, and ultimately led to collapse in talks.
