- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that President Donald Trump's administration was not ruling out using military force against Iran.
- "By no means are we foreclosing using kinetic strikes anywhere in the Strait of Hormuz or around Iran," Hegseth told reporters, adding that Iran could not handle the economic pressure being put on it.
- The warning follows U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's announcement of an economic D-Day featuring new sanctions against Tehran.
- Bessent cautioned that an unnamed financial institution is set to face U.S. sanctions by the end of the week.
- Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh also asserted that Iran is fully prepared and that the U.S. cannot cut off its financial arteries.
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