Bessent's Dual Front: Taming Markets and Tehran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is taking on multiple fronts in an effort to stabilize global markets and pressure Iran. Bessent, who has been dubbed the 'tip of the spear' in the US war against Iran, aims to use financial weapons to achieve victory on both fronts.
The strategy involves using secondary sanctions against entities and countries that engage with Iran, effectively cutting them off from the dollar-based financial system. This move could have far-reaching consequences for Chinese companies, which buy Iranian oil and handle Iran-linked transactions.
The US Treasury Department has also announced plans to increase buybacks of long-term bonds, a move aimed at battling 'bond vigilantes' who are pushing up debt financing costs. Bessent's intervention in currency markets with Japan last month was also done in a way that took pressure off bond yields.