Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared Saturday on Fox News Channel’s My View and said U.S. steps against Iran pair a maritime cutoff with financial restrictions that he called unusually effective at isolating the government.

He told host Lara Trump that China has already purchased most available Iranian crude, leaving only about 30 million barrels unsold, a stock that will soon be gone so Beijing will have none left to acquire. Bessent credited the president with careful timing of the measures and identified the campaign as Operation Economic Outcast, which he termed the most extensive economic isolation effort ever undertaken.

He stated the cutoff stops oil from leaving and that combining it with sanctions creates exceptionally strong dual pressure on the regime.