On Tuesday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that “we are telling friends and foes that this is the end of the regime,” but “the goal here isn’t necessarily to collapse the regime. It could happen.” And “President Trump is determined that they will not survive in situ, as they are now.”
Bessent said, “I can tell you that teams from Treasury, from State, from DOW, they have spread out across the world, and we are telling friends and foes that this is the end of the regime, we are going to sever all of their economic ties with the outside world.”
He added, “This is the final move for this regime after 47 years.”
Host Rob Schmitt then asked, “You don’t believe at this point that this regime will outlast this administration? It will end before the end of Trump’s term, is that your belief?”
Bessent answered, “I believe it will be much sooner.”
Bessent added that “the goal here isn’t necessarily to collapse the regime. It could happen. Maybe the people will rise up, 100% inflation, lines, the military not being paid, the central banker was in panic last week. But, as President Trump said, he believes the reason the MoU failed, the Iranians were not ready to make a deal. So, we are going to make sure that they want to make a deal.”
Schmitt cut in counter, “I just don’t think they ever will. I think, if they survive this administration, I don’t think this ever ends.”
Bessent replied, “Well, that’s why President Trump is determined that they will not survive in situ, as they are now. So, Rob, we do not have a regime change, but we changed the regime, that we took out the first level, we took out the second level. And these guys, some of them are hardened military veterans. But my experience, over the past 20 or 30 years is that, in general, people like having their heads attached to their necks, and whether they turn on each other, whether the people turn on them, or whether something happens to them in a military action. And I think the fact that they started firing and started kinetic action again just shows how frustrated they are.”
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