The United States Escalates Financial Pressure on Iran: Launches "Economic Pariah Action," Includes Digital Assets and Four Other Sectors in Secondary Sanctions

BlockBeats News, August 25th - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held a press conference today, announcing the launch of the "Economic Pariah Action" against Iran, aiming to "completely cut off all other options for the Iranian regime." The full content of the press conference is as follows: The U.S. Treasury Department will sanction nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels related to Iran, involving nuclear, missile, cyber, and oil networks, and will potentially impose secondary sanctions on five sectors: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping.

Yellen clearly stated that any entity facilitating money laundering for Iran will be removed from the U.S. dollar system, and "any economic dealings with Iran will subject the responsible parties to comprehensive U.S. sanctions." Countries must shut down activities identified by the Treasury Department within a specified time frame, including closing Iran's overseas bank branches, or the U.S. will unilaterally take action through its financial authority. Yellen warned not to underestimate the impact of secondary sanctions and revealed that a major financial institution will be sanctioned this weekend due to Iran-related issues. The U.S. also revoked the terrorist designation of Syria's HTS and lifted Syria's designation as a "state sponsor of terrorism."

During the press conference, Yellen also clarified the Treasury's bond repurchase program: the U.S. has not yet purchased any bonds, and the next operation will be on September 9th, while regular bond auctions will continue. This statement is aimed at dispelling market doubts about the Treasury's intervention pace.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau responded to President Trump's threat of a 50% auto tariff, stating that retaliatory tariffs would be "highly targeted" and accusing Trump of "wanting to decimate our key industry on his own terms." Yellen, on the other hand, stated that Trump hopes Canada can sit down for sincere negotiations.

The signals released throughout the entire press conference were highly intensive, with a comprehensive escalation of financial pressure on Iran, simultaneous advancement of trade pressure on allies, and a cautious pace maintained in the bond market operations.