The Trump administration is preparing a new wave of economic measures against Iran that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says will be unlike anything previously used against a country, as Vice President JD Vance laid out Washington’s two central objectives in the ongoing confrontation: keeping global energy prices stable and ensuring Tehran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country,” Bessent told Newsmax on Thursday.

He said the campaign would combine unprecedented economic isolation with the ongoing blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which he said would prevent goods from moving in or out of Iranian ports.

Vance, speaking separately on Fox News, said he believes the confrontation will ultimately leave the United States in a stronger position, with Iran without a nuclear weapon and the Strait of Hormuz returned to conditions that allow oil and gas prices to stabilize.

The vice president acknowledged the unpredictable nature of dealing with Tehran, saying Iranian leaders sometimes make commitments and then fail to honor them. He said the administration has a broad range of diplomatic, military and economic tools at its disposal and is using them selectively depending on the immediate objective.

“You’re seeing a President of the United States at the height of his authority with a lot of tools, diplomatic, military, and economic,” Vance said, adding that those tools are being used “very selectively, very strategically” to secure the outcome President Trump wants for the American people.

Vance said Washington’s first priority is ensuring Gulf countries can continue supplying oil and gas to the global economy, keeping energy costs affordable for Americans. He noted that oil prices had fallen significantly from the highs reached during the early days of the conflict.

The second objective, Vance said, is preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon. “I feel confident we’re accomplishing both of those goals,” he said, while cautioning that the situation remains inherently unpredictable because Iran does not always honor its commitments.

President Trump has also kept open the possibility of a major escalation. Asked earlier this week whether such an escalation remained possible after previously warning Iran that diplomatic talks represented its final opportunity before “decapitation,” Trump replied, “You’ll find out.”

Pressed again, President Trump said, “Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out.”

A day later, President Trump said the United States was in a strong position and asserted that Washington had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz. He also said Iran was no longer the dominant regional power it had been for decades.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)