The U.S. Department of the Treasury has initiated "Operation Economic Outcast," an extensive economic campaign targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran and its facilitators, acting under the direction of President Donald J Trump. Launched on what Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent termed an "Economic D-Day," the operation aims to sever all financial connections sustaining the Iranian regime globally.
Secretary Bessent emphasized the campaign's objective to isolate Tehran by systematically closing every financial resource supporting what the U.S. identifies as a leading state sponsor of terror. He stated, "President Trump has taken action that his predecessors have long deferred. Under his leadership, America is no longer managing the Iranian threat. We are ending it."
Operation Economic Outcast will specifically target the economic lifelines of the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including networks involved in oil smuggling, sanctions evasion, and terror financing. The Treasury has mapped these channels and is engaging international counterparts to demand immediate action against Iran-related activities, warning of expanded secondary sanctions for non-compliance.
As part of this campaign, the Treasury is broadening the scope of Iran-related conduct subject to secondary sanctions. It has issued determinations against five critical sectors of the Iranian economy: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping. These actions enable the U.S. to sanction any foreign person operating in or supporting these sectors, regardless of their location.
Today's measures include sanctioning nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels across multiple jurisdictions for enabling Iran's illicit nuclear and missile technology procurement, cyber operations, and oil revenue generation. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also suspended several general licenses that previously authorized certain remittance payments to Iran and Iranian access to the U.S. cultural and academic system, alongside issuing guidance on sanctions risks related to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Furthermore, the Treasury is targeting Iranian cyber actors linked to critical infrastructure intrusions and digital asset theft, as well as a shadow fleet shipping network and oil revenue facilitators. These actions reflect a concerted effort to disrupt Iran's global procurement networks for sensitive nuclear and missile technology, including entities in the Middle East and East Asia. The U.S. government expects countries to shut down identified Iran-related activity within defined timelines, or face direct action from the Treasury.