US can still strike Hormuz targets, Hegseth warns as 'Economic D-Day' takes aim at Iran's economy

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the administration is not ruling out military strikes in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran, even as Washington launched an "economic D-Day" against Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced "Operation Economic Outcast," aiming to sever all economic lifelines to the Iranian regime until it "stands alone."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that the Trump administration is not ruling out using military force against Iran, even as Washington unveiled an "economic D-Day" against Tehran. "By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran," Hegseth told reporters, adding that Iran could not handle the economic pressure being put on it. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the start of "Operation Economic Outcast" on Iran, describing it as "a sustained campaign to collapse every last option for Iran." Bessent warned that any entity facilitating money laundering for Iran would be removed from the US Dollar system, and called on world leaders to choose between "America and Iran." State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Trump is still set on preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear bomb, stating the president will "see that objective be completed one way or another." The article frames the dual military and economic pressure as a coordinated administration strategy, quoting both Hegseth and Bessent directly.