Bessent sets 4 conditions for Iran talks amid sanctions push

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined four conditions Iran must meet before Washington will negotiate an end to its economic pressure campaign, as the Trump administration intensified its efforts to isolate Tehran financially. Speaking in interviews on Monday, Bessent said Iran must dismantle its nuclear program, surrender its highly enriched uranium, halt support for regional proxies, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The comments came as the administration prepared to sanction another bank with ties to Iran and rallied international support at a Group of 20 finance ministers meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. Bessent said the goal of the pressure campaign, which includes stepped-up sanctions and a naval blockade, is to create conditions that will force Iran to the negotiating table. He pointed to soaring inflation, food shortages, gas lines, and the collapse of the Iranian rial as signs of severe domestic distress. The International Monetary Fund has projected Iran's annual inflation could reach nearly 70 percent by the end of the year. "The goal here is to create the conditions that they will want to come to the table," Bessent said.