The Treasury Secretary describes the Iranian regime as 'cornered animals' and says they will eventually cave under Trump’s pressure

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday during an interview on the conservative network Fox News that the Iranian regime is facing mounting pressure as the administration of President Donald Trump combines military, economic, and financial measures in an effort to force Tehran to enter a new phase of negotiations. "They're cornered animals," said Bessent, who also asserted that "The world has never seen anything like this, and it's because of the sequencing."

Bessent also noted that the White House carried out six weeks of military operations, followed by a blockade and what he described as an unprecedented effort to restrict the regime's access to the international financial system. "So we had six weeks of kinetic activity. We have the blockade, and now we have an unprecedented effort to restrict and cut off their financial lifeline," said the secretary, who also noted that, while the Trump administration does not know how long it will take for the pressure campaign to elicit a response from Tehran, the Iranian regime will ultimately be forced to back down.

The secretary also referred to previous attempts to reach an agreement with Tehran and argued that the Iranian regime failed to fulfill its commitments following a prior understanding. "We tried to implement the memorandum of understanding on June 3, and a few weeks later, the Iranians began firing on ships in the strait and acting very aggressively. And this time, if there is an agreement, I guarantee you they will abide by it," he said.

Bessent's remarks came a day after U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated in a post on his X account that officials from the Trump administration and the Iranian regime participated in indirect negotiations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with mediators shuttling between the two sides. "Today, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, we held extensive talks with the Iranian delegation through mediators, who shuttled between the two sides throughout the day," Witkoff said.

Witkoff explained that the mediators managed to complete a new round of talks and are expected to continue participating as the diplomatic effort proceeds. The special envoy did not identify any of them nor provide details on which U.S. and Iranian officials participated in the talks.