Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s “economic D-Day” warning after Bessent defended Washington’s decision to give countries time to change their behavior before imposing secondary sanctions.
Ghalibaf Mocks Bessent’s ‘Economic D-Day‘
On Tuesday, in a post on X, Ghalibaf took aim at Bessent, contrasting the Treasury secretary’s “economic D-Day” description with his warning about disrupting global finance.
“Him: ‘Economic D-Day.’ Also him, five seconds later: ‘[lol] why would I want to blow up the global financial system?’” Ghalibaf wrote.
He added, “Sir this ain’t Normandy, this is improv night and you forgot your own script.”
Bessent Defends Secondary Sanctions Strategy
The comments followed Bessent’s remarks at a press conference on Monday, where a reporter questioned why the U.S. had not immediately imposed sanctions after he described the campaign as an “economic D-Day.”
“Well, we are giving everyone the opportunity to remedy bad behavior,” Bessent said.
He added, “Why would I want to blow up the global financial system?”
Bessent said Washington was providing a “cure period” while making clear that its expectations would be enforced quickly.
He called secondary sanctions “a very powerful tool” and warned that those refusing to comply could ultimately “leave the dollar system.”
Bessent’s Operation Economic Outcast targeted nearly 60 Iran-linked entities while broadening U.S. sanctions pressure across shipping, aviation, technology, gold and digital assets.
Iran Hits Back at US Sanctions
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the U.S. “economic D-Day” campaign, saying Washington was threatening countries and businesses that refused to follow its demands.
He accused the U.S. of undermining “the most foundational rules of international law and the UN Charter” and promoting systemic bullying.
Economists Question Iran Sanctions
Economists Justin Wolfers and Peter Schiff questioned the effectiveness of the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign against Iran.
Wolfers compared the strategy with the U.S. sanctions campaign against Cuba, saying broad sanctions could hurt civilians without forcing authoritarian governments from power.
Schiff took a different approach, questioning whether Bessent’s reluctance to immediately impose the harshest secondary sanctions weakened the credibility of the U.S. threat.
He said he would support President Donald Trump if he believed the administration’s efforts would “actually succeed in making America great again.”
Meanwhile, economist Mohamed El-Erian said Bessent’s remarks showed that secondary sanctions were central to Washington’s strategy and indicated that “no one” was beyond the reach of U.S. sanctions.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock/ Maxim Elramsisy
