US increases economic pressure on Iran to get a deal done

Published April 15, 2026 4:39pm ET | Updated April 16, 2026 10:23am ET



The United States is looking to turn up the economic pressure on Iran to make the country more amenable to a long-term agreement that meets the Trump administration’s objectives.

The U.S. has requested Gulf countries to do a deeper investigation into possible Iranian funds in their banking systems, and they may be more willing to divulge that information after facing Iranian retaliatory attacks, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a White House press briefing on Wednesday.

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