Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a discussion about housing policy with Fox News in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. (Photo by Getty Images)
Press TV – Jan 21, 2026
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has openly acknowledged the role of US sanctions in destabilizing Iran’s economy and fueling public unrest.
Speaking to Fox News during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Bessent described the sanctions as a form of “economic statecraft” that had contributed to recent riots in Iran.
Bessent said, “It’s worked because in December, their economy collapsed. We saw a major bank go under. The central bank has started to print money. There is a dollar shortage. They are not able to get imports, and this is why the people took to the streets.”
He added, “This is economic statecraft. No shots fired. Things are moving in a very positive way here.”
His remarks come after peaceful protests over economic hardship across Iran turned violent after public statements by US and Israeli regime figures encouraged vandalism and disorder.
The riots followed incendiary remarks by US President Donald Trump, who threatened fresh military aggression against Iran in case of what he called the Islamic Republic’s potential confrontation with the protesters.
Intelligence officials have verified that the US- and Israeli-backed riotous elements were seeking to hijack the protests and ignite chaos as a means of paving the way for such aggression.
The United States has maintained a series of economic sanctions on Iran for decades, targeting key sectors including banking, energy, and trade. Iranian authorities have repeatedly stated that these sanctions have contributed to inflation, supply shortages, and pressure on ordinary citizens, while attempting to influence the nation’s domestic politics.
Despite these pressures, Iran’s government emphasizes its commitment to maintaining social stability, protecting its citizens, and pursuing lawful international trade.
Officials have also criticized US efforts to portray domestic economic challenges as grounds for foreign interference.
this man scott besant is well known asa megalomaniac and sex pervert
so whats new about that ? you say
america is the worlds bully boy
take care i say
There will be a reversal of fortunes soon enough and the US will shift rapidly from sanctioning the world to begging the world for international aid. And nothing will make that reversal happen faster than hyperinflation. But they will only be able to call it hyperinflation shortly before the end, when they can no longer hide what it is and calling it what it is can no longer make its effects any worse.
Just look at this stuffed idiot.. do you see a “leader”, a good “public servant”? -no, all you see is stupid…
Its time that the white people get back in the driver-seat and put an end to the fake-jew shits-how that has nearly killed us all.
This is “economic statecraft” and not “violence”? It is no different than cutting off a city’s food and water supplies during a siege, while your armies surround the city waiting for the people to rebel and throw out the heads of their leaders, before they enter it to rape and pillage.
is this man not the epidemy of American success and influence? He is saying to the rest of the world, “We have the fattest bellies and the biggest appetites in the world, and we also have the biggest and most advanced military in the world. Any nation which does not give us what we want, we will simply take it. Resist, or you die. We are America First and that means that with our military and our economic might we can rob and kill you if we like, and if you harm even one American, or go against our will, we will destroy you.”
What kind of example is this? In Surrey, BC thugs of the EI community are back to their extortion practices by shooting up houses and businesses of those who are non-compliant. Is that not equivalent to US “economic statecraft”? Of course, it is, and that is the exact impression the WEF wants to project. The difference between Surrey is that there are laws and police force to stop the extortion, whereas there are none on the world stage to stop the Americans from taking over and exploiting another nation. That is what all this insane theatre is really about. That is the conclusion the want people to come to. The WEF wants to stoke the coals for global resistance to US extortion, warmongering and plundering such that their top-down universal globalist plans are the only solution – “to make us safe”.