US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said any damage caused by Iran against US allies in the Middle East will be paid for by funds "extracted from Iranian accounts."
His comments came after Iran carried out attacks against US military sites in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait in the past two days. The attacks were in response to US strikes in southern Iran.
Tens of billions of dollars in Iranian funds have been frozen in foreign banks due to US sanctions.
In a post on X on June 11, Bessent also said any fees paid to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority -- a new Iranian body tasked with vetting and tolling vessels using the Strait of Hormuz -- "will be offset by [Iranian] funds."
Tehran effectively closed the strait, a key artery for global oil and gas supplies, after the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on February 28.
Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-us-hormuz-oil- blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html?lbis=459200
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