US launches 'Operation Economic Outcast' to isolate Iran

The United States launched "Operation Economic Outcast" against Iran on Monday, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that entities helping Iran launder money will be excluded from the dollar system. Bessent described the campaign as an unprecedented economic offensive targeting Iran's facilitators, stating the Treasury has mapped every network Iran uses to smuggle oil and evade sanctions. He said the actions will block revenue sources funding Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and "malign regime." The Treasury also issued determinations covering five critical sectors: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping. Bessent said Iran faces a clear choice between total global isolation or returning to economic normalcy. The move comes roughly six months after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with the conflict stalled and tensions rising over the Strait of Hormuz.