Bahrain’s Top Economy Minister Calls US Treasury Over New Iran Sanctions: Here’s What They Discussed

Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa placed a telephone call with US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent yesterday. The agenda for this call was the US announcement regarding the launch of Operation Economic Outcast. The two sides reviewed the close and longstanding partnership between the kingdom and the US in confronting threats to regional security and international trade. They highlighted co-ordinated efforts to counter illicit finance and to disrupt the funding of destabilizing activity.

Scott Bessent expressed appreciation for the role Bahrain is expected to have in this regard. Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa reaffirmed a core principle. Peace and stability in the Middle East are of paramount importance. So is the security of the sea lanes on which global energy and trade depend. The minister stated clearly that the Strait of Hormuz must not be used as an instrument of economic pressure or extortion. Attacks on commercial shipping raise costs for producers and consumers alike.

These actions place the stability of international markets at risk. The conversation moved to the specifics of enforcement. Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa underlined the importance of denying resources to those who attack the region’s people and infrastructure. This involves action against sanctions-evasion networks, illicit revenues, and the financing of armed militias and terrorist groups. The goal is holding those responsible to account.