On the eve, on August 24, 2026, a new sanctions campaign was launched in the United States, aimed at weakening the Iranian regime and its allies. According to RBK-Ukraine, citing the US Treasury, the operation has been named 'Economic Exile.' This was announced by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who explained that the campaign involves expanding secondary sanctions against organizations and states cooperating with Tehran, as well as imposing restrictions on a number of key sectors of the Iranian economy.

The Essence of the 'Economic Exile' Operation

As Bessent explained, the main goal of the campaign is to block all major sources of funding for the Iranian regime until Tehran is left without external economic support. According to him, the Treasury team has already identified the intermediaries and networks through which Iran has been evading existing sanctions and engaged in oil smuggling. 'Our goal is to cut off every economic artery that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran is left alone,' the head of the department stated. Thus, the operation represents an attempt to systematically sever Iran's ties with the global financial system, rather than a one-off strike on individual assets.

Objectives and Pressure Mechanisms

US authorities intend to intensify pressure and block the revenue sources used to finance the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian authorities. Bessent warned that companies and organizations helping Iran launder money risk losing access to the US dollar financial system. This means that not only Iranian structures will be hit, but also foreign intermediaries, banks, and logistics networks through which Tehran's financial flows pass. Secondary sanctions, by definition, extend to non-US residents, making them a tool of pressure on third countries.

Diplomatic Track and Strategic Shift

Notably, in parallel with the sanctions track, US President Donald Trump is holding negotiations with the leaders of other countries, urging them to cease economic interaction with the Iranian regime. RBK-Ukraine previously reported that the United States had planned to apply unprecedented measures against Iran, primarily in the form of powerful economic pressure. According to available data, Trump has changed his strategy on Iran, betting on sanctions and a wait-and-see approach instead of military action. This indicates that 'Economic Exile' fits within a broader line of Washington's course, combining economic strangulation with diplomatic pressure on Tehran's allies and partners.

Contradictory Data

There is a notable discrepancy between the rhetoric and the actual timelines in the statements and materials on the operation. On the one hand, Bessent uses the aggressive phrasing of 'cutting off every economic artery' and states that the operation has already begun, which may create the impression of an instant and total strike. On the other hand, the same minister clarified that most secondary sanctions will not take effect immediately: Washington plans to give violators time to cease cooperation with Tehran. In other words, the actual implementation of the campaign will be phased, with a transition period, rather than instantaneous. In addition, in the public sphere the operation is sometimes linked to the previously reported US Treasury confiscation of approximately $500 million in crypto assets from Iran (March–April 2026). This episode is a separate preceding event and does not fall within the declared perimeter of 'Economic Exile,' so it should not be conflated with the current campaign.

Context and Background

The new campaign continues the line of unprecedented economic pressure that the US has been building against Iran over the past several months. The emphasis on secondary sanctions and on severing Tehran's oil and financial transit indicates that Washington considers the economy to be the regime's main vulnerability. For international markets and Iran's partner countries, this means heightened compliance risk: any interaction with Iranian structures may result in the loss of access to the dollar system. The outcomes of the campaign and how quickly Tehran can be economically isolated will determine the further dynamics of US-Iran relations in the second half of 2026.